Spots and Tails: A LadyNoir July Story
by CaptainMalcolmReynolds
Summary: ChubbyUnicornMama and Epcot97 back with you for another fun filled month of, ok, not Marichat... LadyNoir!
1. Miraculouses

July 1: Miraculouses

_Authors' Note: Welcome Back! Once again, we added another familiar face to our stable full of writers. (No, I'm not secretly James Patterson.) Welcome LyraMaeArcher to our happy little band! Since we actually like LadyNoir, we are probably going to be sticking with mostly that, although I am sure you'll get a healthy dose of MariChat as well, because we just can't help ourselves. _

_Now that Lyra has joined me and Epcot97, I feel the need to add that we still don't own any rights to Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir, but with her brilliant mind working at the task, I am sure we will soon!_

_Ep: Hey, Lyra, did you get the costumes CM sent us? We're supposed to wear them when we write. Something about keeping us in the creative spirit. Oddly, I don't remember a chipmunk character in MLB..._

_Lyra: Hey guys! Thanks for letting me join in the fun! ^_^ And, costume? ::tears open this box the postal carrier dropped off:: Oh…. uh …. Thanks, CM. This Horrificator costume is exactly what I needed for inspiration….. ::stuffs it back in the box quietly::_

* * *

Adrien made his way to Master Fu's shop. He'd been a little surprised when Wayzz had shown up at his window, as Master Fu usually came as his substitute Chinese tutor when they needed to meet. He was feeling a little apprehensive, but Wayzz had promised him that it was nothing bad.

Arriving at the appointed time, Adrien knocked and then entered the little shop. Master Fu greeted him, then took him into the back room. "Chat Noir, I am sure that you are wondering why I have called you here. The time is coming that you will need more allies. I have cautioned Ladybug that she shouldn't call on Queen Bee, as Hawkmoth knows her true identity, and it could be dangerous both for you and for her. I have asked Ladybug and I am asking you to each choose a new miraculous holder. Do you have someone in mind?"

Adrien thought for a minute. The first person that came into his head was Marinette. He'd called her their Everyday Ladybug, and she did embody many of the qualities that Ladybug herself possessed. She could be shy at times and a little clumsy, but he couldn't think of anyone more worthy of a miraculous. His green eyes met Master Fu's brown ones, and he nodded solemnly, "Yes I do."

"Good." Master Fu stepped towards the miraculous box and withdrew the case containing the miraculous. Choose the miraculous you feel would be a good fit for this person. After examining them closely, Adrien reached for the grey and pink necklace that was the mouse miraculous. Master Fu smiled and put it into the hexagonal case. "Find the right opportunity to give this to her, Chat Noir. You may present it to her, and explain what it means, as Ladybug has done with Carapace and Rena Rouge, or you may slip it to her without her knowing, as I did to you. Either way, you should let her have it, soon. The longer the miraculous is out there, the greater the chance of it getting lost or stolen."

"I will, Master." Adrien bowed, and stepped out of the store, the miraculous nestled safely in his bag. It wasn't until he was home, sitting on his bed, wondering how he was going to offer the necklace to Marinette, that he realized Master Fu must have known who he had in mind, since he'd used all female pronouns.

As he sat there, Adrien realized he had an in with Marinette already as Chat. Smiling a very-Chat like smile, he hurried down for his dinner, eating it as fast as he could without drawing too much attention from the omnipresent Nathalie, and took the steps two at a time back to his room. He'd just closed his door and was about to call for his transformation when he heard a soft voice at his open window.

"Adrien."

WIthout turning, he knew it was his partner - and why she had dropped in unannounced. Groaning, he put on his best model smile and turned to meet her. "Ladybug?" he said.

"I apologize if I've interrupted-"

"No, not at all. I just finished dinner. I'll admit it's a bit of a surprise…"

What could he say, really? Having his crush appear - in his room, no less - would have been the highlight of any day. And yet he couldn't turn her away, no matter how urgent his own mission was. "Come in, please," he added belatedly, realizing she was still perched on his windowsill.

He sat on his couch and she settled in next to him. "What brings you to my doorstep, mil-Ladybug?" Adrien asked, channeling some model tricks to keep his face from betraying anything.

Without preamble, Ladybug produced a similar Miraculous box and held it out to him. "Adrien Agreste, here is the Miraculous of the Dog-"

Adrien successfully kept from snorting. _Dog? Really? _he thought. _Wait till Plagg sees this._

He was so wrapped up in trying to keep his expectant expression, well, expectant, he missed part of what Ladybug was saying "-to join my team," she continued. "Will you accept my offer?"

"Ladybug, you want _me_ to fight by your side?" he asked, dying a little inside at the insanity. "I'm not exactly the most likely choice. Surely there are others in Paris-"

"I choose you," she said, firmly. "You're the perfect choice. I've seen you in action: you're compassionate, always stand up for others, a true team player."

She'd seen him? That was interesting, and he filed that away. Knowing as he did there was generally no changing Ladybug's mind when she'd set her course, he smiled tightly and nodded. "Of course, Ladybug. I accept."

Ladybug placed the box in his hands and smiled. "Once you open the box, you'll be introduced to your Kwami. He will explain how the Miraculous works." She stood up to leave. "Unlike my partner," she added, "please take the time to _listen_ to your Kwami. Get the feel of how the process works, and then meet me at the Louvre in two nights at 2100."

"The Louvre?" Adrien asked, trying not to hold the box as if it were radioactive.

"Yes," she confirmed as she leapt back to the windowsill. "Chat and I will be running through some basics with you and the other new member of our team."

Adrien couldn't help the upraised eyebrows. "Chat Noir will be there?"

Ladybug misread his expression. "Yes," she smiled, "you'll get to meet him then. Now, _listen _to your Kwami and we'll see you in a few nights." And with that, she zipped away on her yo-yo.

He sagged back into his couch, and Plagg floated up from where he'd been hiding in his shirt. "Seriously," Plagg said. "She gave you _the dog?_"

"Don't take it purrsonally," Adrien quipped. "Do I let him out? How does this work, having two kwamis?"

"Let him out," Plagg said. "We'll have to sooner or later."

Sighing, Adrien cracked the Miraculous box to reveal a tasteful black wristband with dog-shaped figures at either end. It flashed white, and a brown-and-white kwami appeared. "Greetings. My name is-"

"Hey, Barkk," Plagg interrupted.

"Plagg?" Barkk's eyes went round. "Oh no. Not _again_."

"Yeah. Look, the kid and I have to run a quick errand. You can come with, if you want, but he's gonna be Chat when he leaves."

"This is highly irregular," Barkk started. "We should contact-"

"We'll straighten it out," Adrien offered. "But I really do need to go."

"Fine," Barkk replied, scowling.

Adrien slipped the wristband on and then turned to Plagg. "Plagg - claws out!"

Once the glow faded, Chat retrieved his own Miraculous box, leapt to the window Ladybug had recently vacated and paused, turning toward the rather put out looking Barkk. "Uh," he started. "I've never had to carry a Kwami with me. But I can't leave you here."

Barkk rolled his eyes, mumbled something about needed a nice, long bath after this was all over, and simply phased into one of Chat's costume pockets.

"Right," Chat said, and leapt off toward his original mission.

He'd visited Marinette irregularly for some time, though perhaps regularly enough that he knew she'd likely be on her rooftop patio at this particular point in the evening. Chat quietly dropped down onto a chimney flue just above the small space. "Good evening, Purrincess," he said.

She let out a loud squeak, whirling around to face him quickly with wide, blue eyes, stumbling slightly. "Chat?" He chuckled to himself, admiring the fact that she perfectly fit this particular miraculous.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, frowning slightly as he smirked at her antics. Pulling the little box out of the pocket that didn't hide the dog kwami, he realized he didn't really know how exactly he was supposed to do this. Maybe he should have listened to what Ladybug had said.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ladybug and I have decided to add new members to our team. I'm choosing you to have this miraculous - the miraculous of the mouse." There. That sounded official enough. He held the box out to her, watching her eyes widen even more and her mouth settle into a cute little "o" of surprise.

"M-Me?" she stuttered, obviously startled. "But I'm not a superhero. I can barely stand on my own two feet most days." Oh he knew. He'd caught her enough times tripping up and down the stairs at school.

"Yes, you. Take it." He shoved the box firmly into her hand before continuing. "You will find a piece of jewellery inside. Put it on and you will meet a cute little creature called a Kwami. They will help you learn what to do and what your powers on. Two nights from now, meet the team at the Louvre at 2100. Ladybug and I will be there to help train you."

She had been looking at the box with a strange and unreadable expression until he'd mentioned Ladybug.

"Ladybug will be there?" she gasped incredulously. A fangirl? Probably. He smiled and nodded.

There was a heartbeat of a pause as she stared at him before she went into meltdown mode.

"No, no. I can't. I can't possibly accept this, Chat, I really can't. There has to be someone else. Someone better. Someone who can be a superhero without bumping into everything and tripping all over the place. I'm flattered, obviously, but how could you pick me over all the other people in Paris? You have to take this back and give it to someone-" She was pacing wildly, hands flailing about. He had seen evidence of her dramatic behaviour before, but had no idea she could talk that fast nor that she had the ability to go from stunned to full panic in record time.

"Marinette - stop. Breathe. It's ok!" he interrupted the unending flow of gibberish that escaped her. Grabbing her wrist gently, he forced her to look at him. "I'm choosing you. I've seen you - brave, kind, always thinking of other people and helping them. You are puuurrrfect for this. Trust me."

Finally, she nodded, turning her gaze back to the box uncertainly.

"Remember. Two nights from now. Louvre. 2100. And, most importantly…. Remember, your secret identity must remain anonymouse." He smirked as she rolled her eyes at his pun.

"And with that, I bid you good night, Purrincess." A deep bow, a quick kiss on the knuckles, and off he lunged into the night, heart soaring. Marinette deserved this miraculous. Besides, he couldn't wait for a fun game of hide and go squeak with his new partner.

If he could just figure out what to do with the dog sitting in his pocket.

With a leap, he threw himself back into the window of his room, transforming back into himself, leaving Plagg and Barkk to eye each other warily.

"Ok, so any ideas what we do now?" Adrien asked. "Ladybug expects to see me in 2 days, not as Chat but as …. Dog?" With a groan, he flopped onto his bed face first and lay there. How could he possibly be there as Chat to train Marinette when he was supposed to be there as a new hero himself?

Plagg had resorted to chomping away on his cheese collection while Barkk just sat at the edge of the bed with his head cocked slightly, watching. A noncommittal shrug was all the black cat offered when Adrien cracked open one eye to see if he had any suggestions.

"Fine." Sitting up, he scooped the little brown and white puppy and brought him close to his face. "Tell me more about the Dog Miraculous." The little creature started wagging his tail excitedly as his eyes twinkled happily.

The next few minutes were a rambling of information - how to transform (and detransform), what his powers were in the suit, and a serious discussion about the potential challenges of being in a dog suit and the temptation to fall into typical dog behaviour like peeing on trees and chasing sticks. As if purring wasn't embarrassing enough. Adrien swore Plagg was laughing from inside the fridge.

Deciding the only logical course of action would be to try it out, Adrien stood up with determination, sticking his tongue out briefly at Plagg when the cat peeked his head out of his favourite place to see what was going on.

Raising the arm that held the band in front of him, hand balled into a fist, he yelled out "Barkk, Fetch" as instructed and felt a rush of energy sizzle across his skin as the little kwami was sucked into the jewellery, triggering the start of the transformation. It felt different than when he transformed into Chat. The light was brighter - a yellow instead of green - with a feeling of joy washing over him instead of the usual sensation of heavy power. When it ended, Adrien felt slightly off-balance. Definitely different than the lithe dexterity he usually felt. He felt heavier, but stronger. Making his way to the mirror, he stared at himself - almost unrecognizable.

The suit was somehow soft, like his skin was covered in the finest of fur. The pants were form fitting, tan in colour, and were belted with a thick leather strap buckled in the middle and dangling down about a foot in the back, giving the appearance of a short tail. The dark brown colour of the belt matched his heavy boots and thick gloves, which were rounded at the fingertips instead of clawed. He wore a tan jacket with short, triangular, dark coloured lapels that clasped together at his collarbone, and long sleeves that covered his arms. It lay open from the clasp, revealing plain white on his torso until it disappeared into his waistband.

The mask was wide on his face, tan except for where a large white spot rounded one of his eyes. His golden hair was slicked back against his head with puppy ears peeking off the top of his head. One of them drooped slightly at the tip.

At his hip, he found a frisbee - his weapon he supposed.

Turning around, Adrien found himself face to face with Plagg, who was unsuccessfully trying not to laugh.

"Shut up, Plagg," he muttered, swatting him out of the way. "Maybe it's time to test this puppy out." Jumping clumsily to his usual escape window, he raised an eyebrow to the cat. "Coming?"

Marinette, meanwhile, was sitting on her bed, staring at Mullo, the mouse kwami. Mullo was staring back at her, as shy as she was, his whiskers quivering. Tikki was hovering off to the side, encouraging both to get to know each other. After talking it over with Mullo, she decided to transform and go out to try her new powers.

With a cry of "Mullo, whiskers twitch!" Marinette was replaced by a figure in pink and grey. She had soft pink chevrons above her knees and elbows, a pink v around her neck, and a pink jumprope belt, that must double as her weapon around her waist, the rest of her suit was a soft dove grey. The domino mask that covered her eyes was grey, and outlined in pink, and the ribbons that held her twin buns in place were soft pink, their ends fluttering in the breeze from her open skylight.

Tikki smiled at her friend. "Very nice. What are you going to call yourself?"

Mouse-Marinette thought for a few moments. "Musette," she decided. "Not only is it a beautiful piece of music, but 'mus' means mouse.

Tikki nodded. "It's perfect!" She flew into Musette's left bun to travel with her.

Musette scurried out of her skylight, and using her jump rope like she normally would her yo-yo, started swinging herself across the rooftops. She found that running, Musette was much faster than Ladybug, and her strength was about the same. She had more patience, she could tell, as Musette was not getting frustrated with having to relearn how to use her heightened abilities. She also suspected she wouldn't have Ladybug's leadership or planning skills. She felt much freer in this skin, too. There wasn't the pressure of getting everything right all the time, having to be all business. She was able to let loose and she understood, maybe for the first time, how free Chat must feel as he flipped across the rooftops.

Maybe it was her thoughts of him, or just the habit of her feet, but she found herself heading towards the rooftop where she frequently met up with her partner… well, Ladybug's partner. Catching a glimpse of blonde hair, she thought that Chat was there, but then she saw the tan body, rather than a black one, and brown ears that stuck up from the top of his head. _Adrien._

Schooling her features she thought about turning back, but it was too late, as the boy in the brown suit turned to face her. She couldn't let on that she knew exactly who he was. She saw surprise flash across his face, before he got it under control, and saw him step back to give her space to land on the roof.

Smiling nervously, she noticed that Adrien definitely looked good in the skin-tight suit, and Musette's cheeks pinked slightly, perfectly matching her costume. She waved shyly at the dog-man standing, hands on hips, in front of her. "Hi! I, uh, I'm new. I'm just trying this out for the first time." She gestured at her costume. "I'm Musette. What's your name?"

Dog-Adrien was looking at her, trying very hard to remember that it was his good friend Marinette standing in front of him, looking absolutely adorable in a pink and grey mouse costume. He could not let on that he knew her true identity, because only Chat Noir knew that, and he was mildly embarrassed to be a kitty out in a dog costume.

Shaking himself, almost dog-like, out of his reverie, he realized Marinette, uh, _Musette_, had asked him a question. "My name? I'm Zong SeGou. It's nice to meet you Musette."

The pair stood there, blinking at each other, when, in the distance, they heard the crash and screams that could only mean one thing… an akuma.

Chat groaned - _whoops! _Adrien thought - _stay in character!_ "That sounds ominous," he said to his partner, and then couldn't help the quasi-Chat smirk. "Maybe we should investigate?"

Musette glared at Zong. "I'm not sure we're ready," she said. "It might be wiser for us to wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir to arrive." _It'll have to be Chat,_ she thought glumly. _Of all the days! He'll be insufferable if he has to bail Musette out._

Zong kept his face impassive. _That's not likely, at least for Chat_. But it gave him an opening. "You might be right," he said, smiling. "Want me to go for help? You can stay here and keep tabs on what's happening."

"Uh, sure," Musette quickly agreed, realizing once Zong had disappeared, Ladybug could show up. "I'll just… wait here."

"On it!" and with that, Zong ran to the edge and jumped to the half wall ringing the roof; he misjudged it, badly, and caught a foot, sending him tumbling over the edge, hands flailing to try and regain his balance.

She heard a resounding crash, and Musette ran to the edge and peered over. It had only been a moment, maybe, but Zong was gone. The only evidence of his presence was a vaguely human-shaped divot in the trash dumpster he'd fallen into. _He recovered fast!_ she thought, also realizing Chat was far more graceful than she'd given him credit for.

Another tidbit she'd refrain from sharing with him.

Musette turned back and started to call for her de-transformation only to find Chat Noir dropping down in front of her, massive smirk on his face. "I didn't expect to see you for another day or two," he said, raising a masked eyebrow. "And you're already in the thick of it?"

"Chat Noir," she acknowledged. "Zong was just here and he went to get help-"

"Zong?" Chat replied. "Who's that?"

"Uh," Musette thought quickly, realizing Ladybug hadn't told Chat yet who she'd chosen. "He, uh, is the other new holder?"

"Oh," Chat said thoughtfully, channelling some model magic to look like this was news. "I must have just missed him." He had his baton in his hand, thankful for the solidity of it; he'd not had enough time with the frisbee to feel anywhere close to confident with it. "C'mon, let's see what we're up against," he said, and he made to vault toward the akuma.

"Chat - wait!" Musette cried. _Typical, he just runs to the danger._ "I don't think Ladybug would be very happy with me if I did! I was just trying out the whole transformation thing-"

Torn between intercepting the akuma and his real concern that Musette might not be ready, he nodded at her. "Ok," he said, popping open the baton to call Ladybug. "You stay out of sight but watch, 'kay? I'll see if I can find out how far out Ladybug is."

"Will do." Musette made a show of ducking behind a chimney long enough for Chat to (more gracefully, she noted) vault over the edge of the roof and helicopter toward the akuma. Once she was certain he was far enough out his enhanced feline hearing wouldn't catch her, she swapped transformations and hurried after him as Ladybug.

The fight went off without a hitch, Ladybug and Chat Noir working together with their normal synchronization of thought and movement. After the fight, and a quick fistbump, the partners separated, Ladybug to switch back to Musette, and Chat Noir to check on his little mouse. Musette made it back to the place where Chat had left her seconds before Chat Noir appeared in her field of vision, two rooftops away.

Being a gentleman, Chat escorted Musette back to her house, explaining that since he hadn't used Cataclysm, he did have to worry about a countdown before changing back just yet. Musette hesitated, and realized that, in this form, she could transform in front of him, and said, "Mullo, whiskers still." The silver light around her shimmered, and then Marinette was standing there in front of Chat Noir.

Chat had to blink a couple of times in order to clear his vision, both from the light and from the effect that seeing his friend become a superhero had on him. He shook himself in a way reminiscent of a cat shedding water from its fur, and refocused his attention on his friend. He gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze, saying, "I'll see you again in a few days! Remember, two nights from now. Louvre. 2100."

Marinette rolled her eyes. "How could I forget?" At Chat's quirked brow, she added, "The most exciting moment of my life," a little more dramatically than necessary.

Throwing one last grin over his shoulder, Chat tumbled out into the night, heading home to have a conversation with Barkk and Plagg.

Once she was sure he was out of earshot, Marinette turned to have a similar conversation with Mullo and Tikki. They admitted it was possible to wield multiple miraculous at once without issue, as long as it wasn't the cat and the ladybug, but Marinette pointed out that Chat Noir knew who had the mouse miraculous, so if she showed up as a combined Multimouse, he'd know who she was behind the mask.

The decision was made to talk to Master Fu, and, assuring Mullo that it was nothing personal, return the mouse miraculous, or at the very least, figure out a way to give it back to Chat Noir. Ladybug HAD to be present at an akuma fight. She was the only one who could purify the akuma, so the decision to make was no decision at all.

She'd just explained the situation to Master Fu and Wayzz, with Mullo and Tikki throwing in important information, when the door to the shop opened and footsteps sounded in the entrance. The kwamis quickly hid, and Marinette snatched up the teapot and stepped into the kitchen to either make more tea, or to quietly step away, to return another time.

She'd just placed the kettle on to boil when she heard a familiar voice. It took her a moment to place it, but then she realized… Plagg. He cackled, "You'll never guess what happened! Ladybug gave the kid another miraculous. She wants him to be a dog!" At Barkk's huff, he quickly added, "No offence, Barkk, but everyone knows, cats are far superior."

It was then that Plagg noticed Wayzz making 'shut up' motions with his arms, and saw Tikki and Mullo hovering by the kitchen door, and realized who else must be present, and probably heard every word he just said. Eyes growing huge, he zipped back around the corner, presumably to hide in Adrien's shirt, as Adrien was still in the hallway, having paused to remove his shoes in the entryway.

Adrien appeared in the doorway, Barkk on his shoulder, about to add to what Plagg had said, when Master Fu held up his hands. "Chat Noir. Just so that you know, we are not alone. Ladybug is here, and now knows who you are, as she knows who she gave the dog miraculous to." Raising his voice a little he called, "Come on out Ladybug. I think the two of you have some things to discuss."

Adrien's eyes were glued to the kitchen door, when out of it stepped Marinette. Her cheeks were pink, her eyes trained on the ground, until, suddenly, those luminous blue eyes were trained on her partner, the twinkle in them spelling trouble for him. "So I guess I really don't need to come up with an excuse to why I can't keep Mullo. Or why Ladybug can't come train Zong SeGou in 2 days. What would we have done if neither of us had shown?" She asked the last question with a shy giggle.

Adrien stared at her for a few more seconds, mentally processing everything he'd just learned. "I guess we need to find other people to wield the miraculous." That was all he got out before Marinette had crossed the room and flung her arms around him. He returned the hug, smiling into her hair, before stepping back and holding out his hand. "Hi! I'm Chat Noir!"

Marinette glanced down at his hand, and gripped it in a firm handshake, the first time that the partners been skin to skin. "Ladybug. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."


	2. Civilian Life

July 2: Civilian Life

_Author's Note: Epcot97 back with you again with another chance to revisit our duo in that apartment they've been sharing since _Roommates _(Chapter 7 of _What Were We Thinking_, over on ChubbyUnicornMama's profile). If you want to catch up on how we got to this particular episode, I recommend reading the entire arc in this order: _

_What Were We Thinking - A MariChat May Story_

_Chapter 7: Roommates_

_Ladrien-Free June:_

_Chapter 3: Couple_

_What Were We Thinking - A MariChat May Story_

_Chapter 9: Ice skating_

_Ladrien-Free June:_

_Chapter 8: Valentine_

_What Were We Thinking - A MariChat May Story_

_Chapter 25: Boots_

_This has been a fun set of stories to write and there may be more in the future. Today, however, we find that two years in, Chat decides it's time to tell Marinette who is beneath the mask. But he'll need a little help from certain bug to pull it off._

_CM: I'm making him write a wedding! Coming later this month._

* * *

Two years had passed since I bought the apartment for us; while it hadn't entirely been smooth sailing, it had been the most loving experience I could have ever imagined. The hardest part for me had been having to keep a part of myself hidden from Marinette for that time, and the longer we went, the more worried I became that the ultimate reveal of my identity would shatter the harmony we enjoyed. Plagg (of all people) had counseled me not to worry about it; his own observations of my beloved had led him to conclude that she'd accept me no matter what.

The fact that my girlfriend fed my kwami behind my back – and had been doing so from the get-go – may have factored into his high opinion of her.

I still worried, however. For I had also caught Marinette's rather subtle ploys to wring identifying information out of me, and I well knew a carefully timed scratch behind a kitty ear at a weak moment would have me blurting out my life story to her. I'd fended her off since Christmas, but as Bastille Day approached, my heart knew the time had come for me to put all of my Chat cards on the table.

Needing some advice, and perhaps even permission, led me to carve out time with Ladybug one July evening. I'd left her a voicemail telling her I needed to meet, and when she texted back a time, I was leaning against the kitchen island sipping on a glass of red wine, trying to unwind. It had been a Hell of a day, with morning _and_ afternoon photoshoots; I'd also been notified that I'd been removed from a long-planned swimsuit campaign and replaced by an up and coming nineteen-year-old who looked as though he spent every waking moment refining his six pack abs.

Intellectually, I knew that the shelf life of a model was pretty short. The fact I'd been doing it for more than a decade spoke more to my versatility than anything else, but I thought I'd have another year or two before aging out of the gigs I had done pretty much from the beginning. Swapping high fashion catwalk calls with jobs modelling button downs and slacks you could find at any decent department store stung more than I'd expected.

Marinette emerged from her suite and found me contemplating the wine bottle with narrowed masked green eyes. "Chat?" she asked as she came up behind me and wrapped an affectionate arm around my waist. "Long day?"

"Yeah," I said as I drained the last of my second glass and set it down on the counter. My tail snaked around her hand as I turned and kissed her. "But just seeing you wipes it all away, Princess."

She smiled at the moniker I'd bestowed upon her all those years ago.

"Join me?" I asked as I nabbed the bottle in a paw. "I've got time for another before I've got to scat and meet Ladybug."

Marinette's eyes flicked to my baton, which was still snapped open to the texting function. "Since you're not rushing out your balcony door, I assume this is a casual meeting? And not, oh, an akuma?"

I flashed my Chat grin. "Yeah, no emergency," I said, eschewing another glass for the moment. "I've got to chat with her for a bit – nothing major," I added, when I saw her eyes go round. "But don't wait up for me."

"What a coincidence," she said. "I've got to run to the office myself. I had something cooking in the three-D printer that I want to check on."

That intrigued me. "Mind if I tag along?" I asked, for I was truly curious about some of the higher-tech angles her firm was taking in the fashion realm. I was technically inclined myself; my alter-ego had overseen the modernization of the design system at House of Gabriel a few months earlier. "I can find another night to meet with LB," I added as I reached for the baton.

Something passed across Marinette's face. "Oh no, this is just something quick," she said as she hurriedly threw some items into her purse from the side table. "Go meet with your partner."

"Okay," I said, and my crestfallen look must have caught her. She dashed back from the door and reached for my bell, pulling me down into a kiss. "Not that I mind, but what was that for?" I asked as we parted.

"A promise that I'll take you in later."

I smiled. "I love 'take your Chat to work day.'"

"I know you do," she winked as she flew out the door.

Grabbing the baton, I trotted through to my suite and vaulted out the balcony door, helicoptering into the evening. Flying over the skyline of Paris was one of the aspects of Chat that I'd never grown tired of. The Ladyblog had once called me a "rooftop dancer" for the grace I exhibited, and as I'd gotten older and, frankly, better at being Chat Noir, I felt I was getting closer to the Gene Kelly/Fred Astaire end of the spectrum.

To my surprise, Ladybug was waiting for me when I dropped down onto our rendezvous rooftop. "Milady," I bowed, taking her hand and kissing it as was my long-standing custom. "You look _meow_velous this evening."

"Seriously, Chat," she laughed, her blue eyes sparkling, "you need some new lines. The cheese on that one is getting moldy."

"The classics never die," I said somberly, trying hard not to break into laughter, and failing. "You might be right," I said after wiping tears from my feline eyes. "Look, thanks for meeting with me tonight."

"Of course, Chat," she replied. To my surprise, she'd kept my paw in her hand for a few beats longer than normal before releasing it. I hopped up to the pony wall she'd been leaning against and sat in my patented cat stance, and she surprised me again by pulling herself up and folding herself cross legged next to me. "What did you want to talk about?"

"LB, you know how much I respect you, and value our friendship—" I started, then paused when I saw her mirthful expression. "—what?"

"Are you breaking up with me?" she chuckled.

"No!" I said quickly, then amended, "I mean, how could I? We're partners by fate." I paused for a moment. "Although there was a time when I'd wished it had been more," I added with a trace of wistfulness.

She put a hand to my bicep. "Even now, after all these years together? And the time you've spent with Marinette as her boyfriend?" She searched my eyes. "You still think about the possibility of _us_?"

"I love Marinette with all that I have," I said in a very non-Chat way. "Don't get me wrong, Milady. You are special to me in your own way." I looked away, embarrassed in her presence for the first time in years. "I do love you, still," I said quietly, "and always will." I looked back at her. "But Marinette owns my heart."

"I know," she said, equally as softly.

Keeping my eyes on hers, I picked up her hands, one to a paw. "I'd like to propose to her," I said. "But I can't do it unless she knows who I really am." I paused, searching her eyes. "But I also made you a promise many, many years ago now."

Ladybug's face flickered through a series of emotions before she hastily recomposed herself into a smile. "I don't think I expected you would ever stop roaming, Chat," she tried to tease, but it came out a bit flat.

"Ah, I thought you knew me better than that, Milady," I replied, feeling somewhat hurt. "I've only had eyes for two ladies in my lifetime."

"You want to propose…" she repeated, slowly.

"Yes," I said. "It's time. Actually, it's probably beyond time; she's an incredible woman who has been insanely patient with this cat." Looking at her deep blue eyes, I couldn't help but add: "I really am quite lucky, Milady. People rarely meet their soulmates; I have two in my life."

"Chat—" she started, and I thought I saw her eyes glistening slightly.

I put a claw to her lips. "It's the truth," I said with a gentle smile. "Maybe it didn't work out for us, and I get all the reasons; but I thank my kwami nightly for the chance to spend even a little bit of time with you."

Now she _was _crying. A little shocked at her reaction, I automatically pulled her into an embrace. "Ladybug? I've blown it again, haven't I?" I asked, hugging her close.

"No, nothing like that Chat," she said quickly, snuffling. "It's just a side of you that I hardly see."

I chuckled lightly. "If I'd only known you wanted the softer side of Chat all these years, Milady…"

She pulled back. "I might not see it every day, but it was there, Chat. Always has been." Ladybug wiped away her tears, and smiled at my concerned expression. "Joy," she said simply. "Pure joy. I'm so happy for you, Chat. You've found your way forward in this topsy-turvy situation of ours. And you've grown into a partner of the truest sense. You deserve all of the happiness that comes with it."

I wiped away the final tear with a claw tip. "Bugaboo," I said softly. "Why do I feel as though I've suddenly broken your heart?"

"Chat, far from it," she said, eyes still glistening. "My heart is overflowing for you."

It was yet another reminder of how special Ladybug was. I pulled her back into a hug and buried my face in her hair; it was an impulsive act, one I did it regularly with Marinette. As Ladybug returned the embrace, it dawned on me that I'd never held her this close – _this way_ – before, and yet, it felt oddly familiar. And normal.

Ladybug's personal scent filled my feline nose, one of exotic spices that I'd recognize anywhere. More than once I'd needed to track her down in less than optimal circumstances, and her scent notes were so unique I'd never had trouble finding her. Actually, now that I thought about it, Marinette seemed to have a scent portfolio that was quite similar. Not the same, exactly, but I really hadn't puzzled her out. Mostly because the perfume she wore, while beautifully complimenting her, masked her personal tones.

I pulled away slightly. "So there is one tiny little matter, then," I started hesitantly. "Well, three, I guess."

She looked up at me. "Okay."

"First, I want to make sure it's acceptable to you that I reveal myself to her." I paused for a beat. "I know we've discussed this to death over the years, but I feel pretty confident in my abilities as Chat now that I will be able to protect her from any harm."

"I'd say you have a two-year track record to back you up," she nodded. "Before I decide, what are your other points?"

"The second is more of an advice question." I pulled back and dropped to the tile, starting to pace. My tail was telegraphing my angst on this next point. "I've had to hide my alter-ego from Marinette, as you know, and I am worried that once she finds out who I am under the mask, her feelings for me might not be the same."

"Chat," she started from where she was seated, "you know as well as I do that our personalities – our civilian personalities – are part and parcel of who we are, even as superheroes. The best parts of you don't change when you transform." She paused and then added quietly, "In either direction."

Still pacing, I folded my arms tightly against my chest. "I'm aware that she had feelings for my alter-ego, Milady," I said after weighing the pros and cons of admitting that. "I'm afraid she will think poorly of me—"

"Chat, stop," she said abruptly. "That was _years_ ago. And she wouldn't have moved in with you if she hadn't accepted the notion that you needed to protect your identity. For her." She popped down and intercepted me mid-stride. "For both of you."

"Really?" I asked, still not certain.

"Yes," she smiled. "She might surprise you. No," she added, "I think she _will_ surprise you."

I nodded, not completely satisfied, but enough to continue to my final item. "That brings me to something I've had to think about long and hard."

Ladybug's eyes widened. "That sounds ominous."

I smiled. "Not like that," I said quickly. "Look, it doesn't feel right that I reveal my identity to Marinette before doing so to you." I unfolded my arms and put a hand next to her mask, cupping her face. "You mean too much to me not to also know who I am, civilian or not."

She put her hand against mine. "As sweet a notion as that is, Chat –"

"I'm not asking you to reveal yourself to me, Milady. But it's important to me that you also know."

Ladybug squeezed my hand, then unexpectedly leaned up and kissed me on the exposed portion of my cheek just below the mask. "No," she said firmly. "Marinette should know before I do. It's a secret the two of you will have to protect, and if she feels like she can share it with me, too, then I will accept her decision. Then, and only then, will I allow you to reveal yourself to me."

Somewhat shocked by her forwardness – this was a new dimension to my partner! – I searched her eyes again, and saw she'd made up her mind. "Are you certain, Milady?"

"Yes."

"And you are all right with me telling her my secret?" I couldn't help but ask again.

Ladybug ran a finger along the edge of my mask, a move she'd never done, but Marinette had on plenty of occasions. "More than fine," she said with a gentle smile. "Just be gentle. She will be… surprised, I think. But I know she will accept you." She pulled back a bit. "It's a big step for you, Chat. And I think you are ready for it."

"Thank you, LB," I smiled, and then gave her one last quick hug. "I won't keep you further."

"Anytime, kitty," she said as she pulled out her yo-yo and lassoed her way into the night sky.

I stood for a few more moments, pondering our conversation, and then made my own way home.

Bastille Day appeared; I'd managed to wrangle Marinette's promise that she wouldn't be working late at her firm that evening and would instead join me on a rooftop with a particularly good view of the fireworks. It had been an off day for me from the agency, so I'd spent the balance of it pulling together a picnic dinner we'd share and arranging the space with several comfy pillows, a blanket and as many roses as I could lay my paws on.

When we landed together at dusk, I saw her take in my little vignette and narrow her eyes. "Chat," she said. "What is all of this?"

"A celebration," I said happily, though my heart was beating five times its normal pace. I surreptitiously padded one of my costume pockets for the fifth time, ensuring the ring was still there. "We've been together for a long time, now, and I thought it would be nice to recognize that with a little bit of fine food and a fireworks show."

"The fireworks are for Bastille Day," she reminded me with a smirk.

"Are they?" I replied with a grin.

I settled her in on a pillow and folded myself on top of the other, cat-like, and served up the roasted duck and baby potatoes I'd been coaxing through the kitchen, complimented by an expensive wine I'd borrowed from the cellar at Agreste Mansion. She was halfway through her spinach and walnut salad when she finally asked: "How did your meeting with Ladybug go the other night?"

I polished off the last of my duck and reached into the basket to remove the macaroons I'd picked up from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery. "Fine," I said nonchalantly.

She raised an eyebrow but let it go.

At length, she was curled into me as I leaned my pillow against a brick half-wall facing the direction of the fireworks. "That was wonderful, Chat," she said. "Your cooking has gotten rather good."

"I had a great teacher," I reminded her. "But I can't take credit for the macaroons. Your father says 'hi,'" I added. It had been a double trip, actually, for I'd also formally asked Tom for his daughter's hand in marriage. He'd said yes, after running around like a crazy person and then agreeing to keep it under his hat. It had struck me as funny he'd not objected to Chat being his son-in-law.

She snuggled further into me and I felt my purring start. I also knew if I waited much longer, she would doze off and I'd lose my nerve. So I plunged ahead.

"Purrincess, I need to ask you something."

Her head popped up, and she looked at me expectantly. "Ask away," she said.

I slid out from beneath her, turned, and stayed crouched. "I know I've said it a million times, Marinette, but I love you. Deeply. You have the keys to my heart now, and furever."

Quickly, I unzipped my costume pocket and removed the ring I'd had made more than a month earlier. Carefully, I started to kneel, and offered her the ring. "Marinette, will you marry me?" I gently took her hand into my paw, and hovered the ring over her finger. "If you accept, I promise to be your partner through thick and thin, furever and always. And," I paused, swallowing, "accepting comes with the additional burden of knowing all of me. Both as Chat, and as my civilian self."

Marinette was smiling wildly, and tears had started to fall. "Of course I will marry you, you foolish kitty!" she cried. "What took you so long?" she added as she deftly slid her ring finger into the ring I was offering. Throwing her arms around me, she whispered into my feline ear: "I love you with all of my heart, Chat, and that is true no matter who is hiding under that mask."

"Are you sure?" I asked, pulling away slightly. "I'm a little worried—"

"Don't be." She bopped me on the nose. "Kitty."

I let her go and stood up. "Are you certain?"

"Yes," she said with certainty.

This was it. There would be no turning back if I kept going. I swallowed, hard.

"Plagg – claws in."

The green glow of my transformation process lit up the night, washing over me with the electric tingle I had never quite gotten used to. Once it faded, I was standing there as Adrien, albeit in a tuxedo. Plagg had agreed to stay hidden, and I felt him nestle down in the inner pocket of the jacket. I kneeled down again. "Marinette," I said, once more taking her hand in mine, "will you marry me? All of me?"

Marinette's eyes had gone wide, wider than I thought possible, and her smile matched. Slowly, she nodded. "Yes," she said firmly, drawing me up and into an embrace.

"Surprised?" I asked, burrowing my head into her hair. My human senses were slightly augmented, and I could pick up the faint traces of her personal scent.

"Somehow, I always knew it was you," she replied. "Don't ask me how. But you've long said Chat was more of who you were. And the best parts of you don't change when you transform. I understand that better now, seeing who was hiding under that mask."

"You're not upset?" I asked, still worried. "That I've been holding this part of me back from you?"

"I'm in no position to judge," she said, with a twinkle in her eye. "We all have secrets. Even me. But as I told you earlier, I never would have agreed to move in with you if I didn't accept the notion that you'd need to protect me by protecting your identity."

"Purrincess—" I started and then stopped, dumbstruck. That was nearly _exactly_ what Ladybug had said to me earlier, and the space of a few heartbeats, my brain clicked into gear, finally drawing the most logical of conclusions I had clearly been blind to – intentional or otherwise.

There was one way to know for certain.

"Plagg – claws out!" I said abruptly. The transformation washed over me once more, and before I could stop myself, I'd stood up and pulled Marinette back into a massive hug, burying my nose in her hair.

For once, she wasn't wearing her perfume; there was nothing to mask the exotic scent portfolio from my feline nose that evening. The notes I would have detected immediately two years ago.

I pulled back slightly, feeling my masked eyes go wide. "Milady?" I swallowed, hard. "All this time?"

"Tikki, spots on," she said in reply.

I'd obviously never seen her transform before, and watched in amazement as a red wave washed over her, replacing my girlfriend with my partner. She was smiling at me. "As I said, you weren't the only one keeping secrets."

I was thunderstruck, and felt myself panicking slightly. "But everything I said-! What I told you-!"

"Chat," she said gently, pulling me close again. "It's me. It's _always _been me. To paraphrase what someone told me not long ago, you rarely get a chance to spend life with your soulmate." She leaned up and kissed me, gently. "I'm fortunate enough to have found mine."

My mouth had gone dry. The woman I loved was the woman I _had_ loved – still loved? – but thought was unobtainable. They were. The same. Person.

In a flash of insight, I realized Marinette had to have been feeling the same thing, for she had loved – still loved? – Adrien. And he was Chat. And she had willingly moved in with Chat.

I found myself smiling, partially Chat, partially Adrien. "Me, too," I said simply. "So you'll marry me? All of me?"

"I will," she said easily. "You're not mad? Knowing my secret?"

"Only that I didn't see it sooner," I replied. "The perfume was an inspired subterfuge."

"Yes," she said. "Master Fu recommended it."

"He _what?_"

"I had to tell him about our little arrangement," she laughed. "While he wasn't terribly amused that I'd allowed you to talk me into the apartment, not to mention you were going to do it as Chat, he acknowledged it was, quote, 'the twenty-first century' and we were responsible adults. But he also helped me make sure I could keep my identity secret until the time was right."

"Ah."

"Apparently, he helped a Ladybug from the late eighteen-hundreds with that particular formula."

"This has happened before?" The thought bewildered me, especially if my feelings for Ladybug were simply a byproduct of wearing the ring.

"Repeatedly," she laughed, then continued as if she'd read my thoughts. "While our two Miraculous are fated to be together, Chat, it's completely up to the holders what happens between them. The jewels gave us a nudge, for sure, but sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't."

I frowned. "And when it doesn't?"

"Ask Plagg about Pompeii sometime."

That made me laugh. "I will." I pulled her back into a hug, and this time we kissed for an extraordinarily long time. Her lips were, of course, Marinette's lips, but the mere fact I was kissing Ladybug as Chat – finally, and without reservation – set a happy tune in my heart that I knew had been just waiting for this moment to appear.

I'm not entirely sure how long we went at it, actually, for my sense of here-and-now only fully returned when the first volley of Bastille Day fireworks rose into the sky and burst into being. We'd flipped positions by that point, with Ladybug sitting with her back against the brick and my head snuggled below her chin. She was scratching behind a feline ear, and the rumbles of my contented purring nearly overrode the explosions of the fireworks. Sitting there, comfortably entangled in each other's limbs, the picnic dinner was completely forgotten; both of us intended to stretch out this moment as long as possible, etching it permanently into our memories.

The fireworks were beautiful, but couldn't hold a shine to Ladybug. I turned up toward her, beckoning her down for another kiss, and she obliged; as she pulled away, I smiled. "I have a question," I said, a sly smile on my face.

"Okay, I'll bite," she said, arching a masked eyebrow.

"Well, maybe two. Does this mean I can come through the front door now?"

"As Chat? Or as Adrien?"

"Would it matter?"

"Absolutely." She waited for a beat. "Chat would draw too much attention."

"Ouch!" I howled. "You know when to kick a model when he's down."

The smile from Ladybug was stunningly beautiful. "What is the other question?"

"Does this mean you get to stay transformed now when we're home?"

"Chat!" She plunked me on the mane. "That's insane. Why would I do that, now that we both know each other's identity?"

My smile grew larger. "You're kind of sexy in that outfit, Milady. And I know you ogle me in mine—ow!"

"Bad kitty!" she laughed after bopping me between the feline ears again.

"You've not seen anything yet," I said, rubbing my head as I always did when she plonked me, but smiling my best Chat smile.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Incorrigible."

"C'mon," I said, reluctantly pulling away from her. "Let's clean up and head home. We've got a lot of planning to do if we're going to pull off a wedding in September."

"September?" Ladybug cried. "I can't do that! What about the Fall Fashion show?"

"We'll work it out," I said happily. "Like we always do. Together."


	3. Patrol

July 3: Patrol

_Author's Note: Greetings! Epcot97 here with a two parter that starts today and finishes on July 5. This little writer's group we've created is split on the issue of whether our two favorite superheroes actually spend their evenings keeping a watchful eye out on Paris. So I've taken an oblique view in order to spin it into a cautionary tale (tail?) for Chat when he is bold enough to invite Ladybug to a romantic rooftop rendezvous._

_Once more, I am duty bound to tell you that I am not affiliated in any way with _Miraculous. _Unless you consider having friended, followed and liked every single post by every single possible person who is actually affiliated with _Miraculous. _If you do, then I am related a-la-Kevin Bacon. (Points if you get the reference.)_

* * *

Uncharacteristically, we were actually sitting together watching the sun slowly set against the Parisian skyline. Hawkmoth had thrown an akumatized grandfather at us just after school had ended for the day; apparently, he had been cheated at chess by a millennial, and had taken it out on the city by turning people into various game pieces. Being a master of the game myself had proven useful as we'd wound up playing him into submission on a giant board it had created at Trocadero. Neither of us had to use our superpower, so there hadn't been any reason for either one of us to dash off to avoid transforming in front of the other.

I'd observed that it was an otherwise pleasant evening, and Ladybug had been less reluctant than usual to continue roaming the city for a bit. She was aware that I tried to maximize my time as Chat Noir and on more than one occasion had made a point of reminding me the Miraculous were meant to be used only when needed. That hadn't stopped me from roaming the city on my own without her, patrolling the night whenever I was able to.

Ladybug really didn't have a sense of what freedom being Chat Noir had granted me. How could she? My alter-ego was unknown to her, so she had no way to understand my deep dread at being locked away in that bedroom at the mansion, alone and forgotten. I hid it well under the Chat Noir persona, but I _was _terribly lonely. Patrolling on my own allowed me to forget it for a while; spending time with her, even if it was snatches here and there as we fought back Hawkmoth, meant more to me that she knew.

As the last of the golden rays spiked their way into the darkening sky, I chanced a glance at my unusually pensive partner. We'd been doing this superhero gig for a while now, and though I still felt like I had a lot to learn, I was definitely coming into my own as Chat. Ladybug still called the shots - and likely always would - but I could tell she was starting to think of me as a true partner, which warmed me to the soul. Obviously I wanted it to expand into much more than that, but partner was a good start.

Her head was tilted up to the just beginning to be starry night, the last light of the day reflecting in those blue eyes I always found myself lost in. As Chat, I couldn't help myself. "Milady, you have the most purrfectly beautiful face in the entire world."

Used to me by now, Ladybug just smiled and continued staring.

"I've meownt to tell you that for some time."

That garnered a raised masked eyebrow.

"Pawlease say you're wishing on a star for me to sweep you off your feet-"

She shifted her head slightly. "Chat," she smiled, warmly but not with the affection I hoped I'd see one day from her. "We've been over this before."

My own smile faltered. Less that two minutes and already shot down. "I know," I said. "But you're wrong, and I'm determined to prove it to you."

We were sitting fairly close to each other, close enough that I could have snaked my tail around her if I'd been feeling that bold. Her tone had told me that tonight wasn't the night to push the point. But I had to have pushed a button for her, for she did turn fully to face me.

"Look, Chat," she started. "I really like you. A lot. But we have a responsibility to Paris, and that doesn't allow the two of us having anything other than a professional relationship. I don't exactly know how to get it into that feline brain of yours."

My feline ears wilted just a bit. "Milady-"

"It's getting late," she said abruptly, deciding not talking any further was easier than allowing me to plead my case for the millionth time. "See you around." Ladybug stood quickly and shot her yo-yo into the night, zipping away from me.

"Of course, Milady," I said quietly to her rapidly retreating form, realizing I'd pushed harder than I should have. Again.

I sat there a bit longer, not really wanting to return to the mansion and the existence it represented. I just _knew_ if I could convince her my feelings were true, she'd come around. My problem seemed to be not having the right opportunity for it. Save for that very evening, her insistence that we keep it "professional" had precluded us from hanging out together outside of tackling an akuma.

I needed a plan. And a reason to get her to spend some time with me, as Chat.

Leaping into the night, I helicoptered home, all the while considering and discarding ideas. My mind was so occupied in trying to puzzle out something, it wasn't until I crunched a feline ear against my pillow when I finally quit pacing the floor and went to bed that I realized I'd never de-transformed. Sheepishly, I fed Plagg the super-duper expensive camembert after dropping my transformation, though he huffed off to the laundry hamper before I could finish apologizing.

It came to me in the wee hours of the morning, staring at the ceiling. Once I had it, I felt myself smile before finally dropping off to sleep.

Over the next few nights, I dialed back the Noir Charm just a little when I was called to action with Ladybug. True to her request, I kept our interactions professional, although my self control didn't prevent me from the occasional "bugaboo" slipping out. I could tell it was having a subtle effect on her, as she'd started to relax just a bit with me. So I kept it up for the rest of the month, as hard as it was to do.

At the same time, I'd begun patrolling for some spot more romantic than most, a tall order given that we lived in Paris. Night after night, though, there was a particular rooftop I found myself coming back to during my wanderings. It had an amazing view of the river and Notre Dame just beyond. I finally settled on it when I happened by one evening with a full moon; between the gauzy illumination it provided and the glowing brilliance of the cathedral when lit at night, the whole scene took on the magical feeling I'd been hunting for.

Now I just needed an opportunity to get Ladybug there.

Nearly two months into my campaign, I thought I had the purrfect moment and I pounced. We had tackled another akuma that hadn't required use of our superpowers and I took a chance. "The moon is beautiful this evening, isn't it?" I observed.

Ladybug had her yo-yo in her hand, but paused her departure to follow my feline gaze toward the glowing orb. "It is," she smiled. "I suppose cats are attracted to the full moon, aren't they?" she joshed.

"That we are," I smiled. "So much so, in fact, that we tend to have favorite spots from which to watch it." I waited a beat.

"Do you now," she said, raising a single masked eyebrow.

The back of my feline brain started to chirp a warning at me, but my heart was in full control now. "Yes. I'd love to show you one of mine, if you have the time-"

"Right now?" she asked, both eyebrows going up now. "Tonight?"

I waved a clawed paw toward the moon. "There won't be a better night," I pointed out, and then turned my best Chat smile on her.

Ladybug looked down, and put one of her hands on her hip, frowning. "It was all some sort of act, then, wasn't it?"

"Milady?" I said, nonplussed.

"The whole professional routine. None of the usual flirting. Pretending to be the gentleman." She looked up and connected her blue eyes to my emerald. "You were putting me at ease to soften me up for this moment, weren't you?"

I could feel my cheeks inflaming. "Ladybug, it's not like that-" I started, but knew she could see the truth on my face.

"Of course it is."

There wasn't anything to say. She was completely right. So I stood there, my smile faltering a bit. "Milady…"

"I'm only going to say this one more time, Chat. There is no room for us to have a relationship, not as long as we're responsible for Paris. I value you as a friend, and always will, but it will _never_ go beyond that."

"Ladybug, I-"

"This is a _job_," she emphasized. "We take care of the messes Hawkmoth creates for us and then we go back to our civilian lives." She stepped closer to me. "I am not going to repeat my earlier objections to you roaming the night sky without a reason, Chat. But it has to stop."

Emotions roiling within me, I feared saying _anything_ might make the situation worse than it already was. So I simply nodded, haltingly.

"Good. Now go home." And with that, she turned and zipped away into the night.

I looked after her, my masked feline eyes blurring a bit. She hadn't even given me the chance. At all. And if I were being honest, she had never given me a reason to hope that something was really there, anyway. Or could be.

I turned slightly and stared at the brilliantly glowing moon hanging low on the horizon. It was mocking me, now, having first tempted me into disaster. Swallowing back the emotions, I stood a little longer, wondering what to do next.

For now, I was completely lost.


	4. Babysitting

July 4: Babysitting

_Author's note: _

_Ep: Hmm. CM didn't put anything here - it's her chapter, after all, but this is our big chance to tell everyone how excited we are to see how she spins the idea she pitched for this prompt. (reads) Wow, didn't see THAT coming._

_CM: This entire story was based off of me wanting to use one particular phrase… feel free to guess which one!_

_We still own no rights to Miraculous, although I am dressing Ep up in that chipmunk sized Chat costume he found last month, and we'll try to have him infiltrate ZagToon headquarters that way..._

* * *

Marinette was sketching out at the Trocadero when a 5 year old walked up to her. Looking around for a parent, she didn't see anyone. She asked the little girl what her name was, but the girl just mumbled something to her. There was something very familiar about the dark haired girl with the purple streak. Looking closer, Marinette gasped. "Juleka?"

The young girl nodded, looking up at her friend through her bangs. "There's an akuma. Makes you younger." Juleka muttered.

Marinette nodded. "You should go home. It isn't safe around here. Which way is the akuma?"

Juleka pointed out towards the city. She looked around nervously, then said, "Can you take me home? Everything looks different from down here. I keep getting turned around."

Marinette smiled at her friend. "Of course." She held out her hand, and Juleka took it. They walked together back to the Couffaine's houseboat, Juleka's small hand holding Marinette's. As they approached the boat, they heard a soft guitar playing a song of welcome. Seeing her friend was unable to step across the gap between the shore and the boat, Marinette lifted her and placed her on the deck, calling a greeting to the boy who was sitting, looking out over the river.

Luka turned when he heard his friend's voice, only to stop when he saw his sister had suddenly regressed in age. Marinette assured him that she was still the Juleka that he knew, she was only physically smaller, and said that she had to go. Luka invited her to stay, to wait in the relative safety of the houseboat until the akuma had passed, but Marinette begged off, saying that she needed to get home and reassure her parents that she was alright.

She'd made it only a few blocks and was looking for a covered area to transform, when she heard a cry behind her. She spun to look, and was hit by a blast from the akuma. She dove into the closest alley, noticing how much longer it took now that she was much smaller. Glancing at her reflection in a window, she judged her physical age to be around 3 or 4 years old. Fortunately, she retained her 14 year old Marinette mind. Opening her purse she called softly to Tikki, who emerged looking exactly as she always did.

Tikki took one look at Marinette and started giggling. Marinette asked if she could still transform when her body was this young. Tikki sobered up, and admitted that she didn't know. Marinette said that she wanted to try it, and her kwami left the decision up to her. Brushing her hair away from her earring, Marinette cried, "Tikki! Spots on!"

In an instant, Marinette was turned into Ladybug. There were no differences, other than her size. Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and stared at it nervously for a moment. "Alwight Wadybug. You can do this." Ladybug threw her yo-yo and swung herself up to the next building. Gaining confidence, she continued to swing from building to building, following the akuma. She landed on a roof near Chat Noir, but when she tried to peer over the half wall that surrounded the rooftop, she discovered she was too short. She stamped her foot in frustration, and only then did Chat break his focus on the akuma and turn to her. His eyes practically popped out of his head when he saw his pint-sized partner.

Ladybug rolled her eyes at him. "I'm fine. I'm just wittle." When Chat snickered at her slight lisp, she threw her yo-yo up in the air and let it come down on his head. He rubbed the spot where it landed, grinning. "Yep. You're still the same Ladybug. Are you sure you can do this though? Should I get help from Master Fu? Alya's right down there, so Nino can't be far."

Having learned the identities of Rena Rouge and Carapace a few months back, either of them could go for help during a fight, which made things easier on both of them. Ladybug thought about it for a moment. "I was hit before I twansformed, so I should be alwight. I don't think it would hurt to get help now, though, in case you are hit as well. I don't know if getting hit while twansformed would affect your kwami."

Chat nodded. "I would really hate to see Plagg reduced to his juvenile form."

Ladybug was already shaking her head. "I'm still normal me inside my bwain, it's just physicawy that I've changed. I weally don't know if it would even affect a kwami, but I don't want to test it out if we don't have to."

Agreeing, Chat told Ladybug to stay safe from the akuma, and headed to Master Fu's to explain the situation. Ladybug dropped down to collect Alya and Nino and bring them up to her rooftop, so they'd be waiting when Chat Noir reappeared.

Much to Ladybug's consternation, Alya had already been hit as well, but Nino was still normal sized. She was able to swing them up, one at a time, and let them know that Chat was going for both of their miraculous. Expressing concern about her size and if it would affect her ability to transform, Alya was hesitant to accept her miraculous. She was reassured when Ladybug mentioned that she was hit as a civilian, and had not had any issues with transforming.

When her partner arrived back on the roof, and their friends were transformed, Ladybug laid out the plan. Since Chat and Carapace were still full sized they would be the rearguard. The akuma, who appeared to be a shorter-than-average adult, was only targeting people taller than him. The taller they were, the more focused he was on them as a target. He was dressed in camouflage, down to his hair, and carried a travel mug, from which the shrink rays were emanating.

Rena and Ladybug were able to slip fairly close to the akuma, acting like little kids playing around. It wasn't until Ladybug's yo-yo shot out to grab the travel mug that the akuma turned to pay them any kind of attention. "Ah! Ladybug! You've joined me at last! You know, I'd have thought you'd be taller. You look it on TV."

Ladybug opened her mouth to respond, but Chat beat her to it. "In the jokes department, you're coming up a little _short_. My jokes are the _height_ of humor, but then again, I always know what is a_foot_."

The akuma swung around to see who was speaking. "Chat Noir! You joined us too! Welcome! I would love it if you would hand over your miraculous!" With those words, the akuma, whom Chat was mentally calling 'Short Circuit', started firing at him. Chat was able to backflip out of the way, and Ladybug grabbed the opportunity provided by his distraction to wrap her yo-yo around the akuma's arm and yank. Unfortunately this diverted the beam from the space that Chat had neatly avoided, to the space that he now occupied. Ladybug groaned and let go of the akuma as she ran towards her partner, Rena Rouge at her heels. Carapace was the first one there, and snatched up the rapidly shrinking Chat and leaped to the roof they'd originally met on, the two girls in close pursuit.

When Chat stopped shrinking, he was the same height as Ladybug, which she enjoyed, as she normally had to look up at him. They all craned their necks to look up at Carapace, the only normal sized one left of the four teens, as they tried to formulate a new plan. Ladybug stepped to the edge of the roof, peering down at the akuma, who was now bearing down on a particularly tall woman, chastising her for wearing heels that only added to her height.

An impact at her back almost sent her tumbling over the edge, but she was pulled back by the same strong arms and warm body that had sent her toppling forward in the first place. She heard sniffling, and turned to see Chat Noir, eyes brimming with tears as he crushed Ladybug to him, his super strength not diminished in the slightest. "You left me" he accused.

Ladybug looked at him in confusion. "I was just checking on the akuma, Chat. Are you OK?"

"Ladybug, you went away. No playing near the edge. It's against the rules." Chat huffed out and pouted at his partner.

A few questions later, and the group realized that, while most people hit by the akuma retained their mental age and only shrank physically, Chat, probably due to the fact he was transformed when he was hit, had regressed both physically AND mentally. He was acting like a 4 year old, and Ladybug was the rock he was clinging to. Rolling her eyes, she asked Carapace to hold onto Chat, as she stepped forward and yelled "Wucky Charm!". Fortunately her lisp did not affect her power in any way, and a pint of milk dropped down into her hand.

Chat, spying the milk in her hands, ran towards Ladybug, clamoring for a drink. Rena restrained him by grabbing his tail and hauling the yowling kitten back towards her and Carapace. Chat turned to her and hissed, "Meanie fox girl", and turned to follow Ladybug, but she was already over the side of the building, swinging towards Short Circuit. Pouring the contents of the container onto the travel mug, a loud zap was heard, and with a blue flash, a deep purple butterfly was fluttering up into the Paris sky.

Spinning her yo-yo, Ladybug freed the butterfly from the evil clutches of HawkMoth, and threw the carton up in the air with a cry of "Miwaculous Wadybug!" The cleansing beetles shot throughout the city, turning the toddlers into full sized people once again. Short Circuit turned into a twenty-something young man who stood a scant few inches taller than Ladybug. He was tired of being made fun of because of his short stature, and something had snapped this morning when he'd seen his ex-girlfriend with a much taller man.

She headed back to her three friends, glad to see that both Rena and Chat had returned to their normal sizes, and maybe just a little disappointed that she could no longer look straight into her partner's eyes. Chat was back to his normal self, flirting with her as soon as she stepped onto the roof. They fist-bumped four ways, and Chat collected the miraculous from Carapace and Rena, since Ladybug was the only one who had used her powers.

As she swung away, she turned to Chat and said, "You were an adorable little kid, but babysitting you in this form is enough of a handful." She sent him a cheeky wink, and swung off into the evening.

Chat watched her go, an enraptured smile on his face, until Nino cleared his throat behind him, and Chat Noir turned to find both Nino and Alya holding out their miraculouses to him. He flushed slightly as Alya promised, "Don't worry. You'll win her over one day."

"I fully expect you two to babysit for us in the distant future, when there are little Catbugs running around." Chat said with his customary smirk.

Nino nodded solemnly as Alya smirked at the lovesick cat. She patted him on the shoulder. "Of course." As he jumped away, he heard Alya call out behind him, "As long as you return the favor." He chuckled as he heard the sounds of Nino choking on air, and Alya's laughter ringing out across the rooftops.


	5. Lost

July 5: Lost

_Author's Note: Epcot 97 back with you. Chat is an emotional mess after Ladybug's actions back on our July 3rd chapter, so much so that he's lost his way in more than one sense. _

_Ep: Have you seen those special Zag boxes you can order online? I thought we could buy one as a team, then use it to send back our plea that we become part of the team. Unfortunately, it was mailed to CM's house, and I've no idea whether it arrived yet. By the way, CM, that's a nice photo of you with a Plagg plush._

_CM: Plagg plush? That's my kitty, Adrien. _

* * *

I landed on the rooftop and rolled behind a brick half-wall, breathing heavily. That in itself was odd, since I didn't normally tire with physical exertion while transformed. But I'd been hard pressed to keep ahead of the little purple butterfly that had nearly landed on my baton less than a quarter of an hour ago.

Why I hadn't considered the possibility that even I could become a target for Hawkmoth was one of many questions I didn't have time to contemplate. One that troubled me more, though, was my inability to reach Ladybug; she appeared to have de-transformed not long after efficiently shredding my romantic overtures and putting us firmly into the friend zone. My frantic calls and text messages had gone unanswered, meaning I was on my own for the moment.

The only plan I could come up with was to stay ahead of the thing, but to also keep it on my tail (as it were). An active akuma butterfly was nothing to be trifled with, and the mere fact it was _still_ following me meant my own emotional issues trumped anything we were sailing over - and gave me the chance to try and draw it away from anyone else.

At least, until I could connect with Ladybug.

Where _was _she?

A flitter of movement caught my attention and I bounded away from the tiny terror, off the roof and into the night sky. As I helicoptered, I glanced over my shoulder and saw it was still following me - which was good - but turning back I could see I was nearing the edge of the city proper and would soon run out of rooftops.

Unbidden, my feline brain relentlessly started a playback loop of Ladybug pulling a William Shatner on me. I was devastated to think that there was even a _possibility _of life without her in it. How could she not see how I cared for her? True, I hid most of my feelings behind the puns and the flirting and my desperate hope she would see beyond all of that to my heart itself.

I landed on the final rooftop, ensured the butterfly was still there, and then scanned the massive set of low commercial buildings beyond a highway. Clicking open the baton, I made one more call to Ladybug, giving her my current location (which she'd be able to see on her Bug Tracker anyway), then hurled myself over the highway and onto the first flat warehouse rooftop.

Trotting across the pebbled surface, I started hunting for some place I could hole up with my quarry. I knew from experience that even a sliver of space would be enough for it to escape, so that limited my options greatly. A container of some kind? Would a hermetically sealed room be too much to ask for? Of all the times to be short a partner who could whip up anything we needed with her Lucky Charm.

Coming to the edge of the warehouse, my night vision landed on a small guard shack at the entrance to a holding area for deliveries. The lights were off and I vaulted down toward it, rolling into a mad run across the pavement to the door. Doing a quick loop around the building, I saw the upper half on three sides was tinted glass facing the space; the door was on a solid fourth side. An air conditioning unit was perched atop the hut and was humming to itself.

The butterfly was hovering a few meters away from me. I let a few more bleak thoughts about Ladybug wash over me, and it immediately started to move forward. Scurrying around to the door, I jimmied it with a claw and zipped inside, rolling to the far side of the small space.

It followed me in, as I'd hoped, and I rolled back below it, yanking the door shut. Scanning the small space, I was reasonably certain there was no easy way out for either one of us. Unfortunately, my dislike of small spaces was piled on top of the other roiling emotions I was dealing with. If the tiny akuma had a face, I was certain it would be smiling at me.

The only thing that seemed to be protecting me, aside from having outrun it, was the tidal effect of my emotions. I was by turns distraught over Ladybug and the hopelessness of that relationship, followed by the upswing of confidence in my own abilities to bottle the butterfly up long enough for Ladybug to get to me. Which would lead back to my despair.

We circled each other in that space; the focus required to stay just out of reach but emotionally available to it started to wear on me, and slowly, I could see that my moves to avoid it were getting narrower and narrower. I was beginning to lose the battle.

I'd tried Ladybug a few more times, but as the sun started to peek out from the horizon, I found myself huddled in a corner, warily eyeing the butterfly and realizing I had nothing left. Pragmatically, I started to consider worst case scenarios, knowing that Paris would likely be safer if I managed to de-transform and jettison the Miraculous jewel before Hawkmoth got his hands on me. Holding up my ring hand, I took a moment to appreciate the tiny lit cat paw on my ring.

_Where had I gone wrong?_ I wondered sadly. _I'm lost in this storm of emotion. _

Out of the corner of my feline eye I could see the butterfly had started it's final approach. It was tenacious, I'd give it that. Focusing on the task at hand, I started to slide the ring off my finger.

_Maybe Ladybug will find it later, _I thought. _Although Plagg might be able to get to help, too._

I'd gotten it to my knuckle and had felt the tingling of the de-transformation around my toes when the window over me exploded in a hail of glass shards. I automatically curled down, allowing my costume to protect me - but not before I'd seen the yo-yo as it had sailed over me toward the akuma.

_Ladybug._

Normally my heart would leap to know she was close by, but instead I curled up tighter. I half-heard her go through her normal cleansing process, my mind awash with disjointed thoughts. I was both mentally and physically drained from the experience.

A gentle hand on my shoulder finally had me twist my head up. "Chat," she said softly. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Numbly, I took her hand and stood, the tinkle of glass filling the space as the shards cascaded from my back. She leapt through the window and I followed, pausing just long enough for her to call upon Miraculous Ladybug to set the space right once more. I checked out completely after that, listlessly following her away from the warehouse and back toward Paris.

Only after she'd placed her hand on my shoulder a second time did I realize we'd arrived on a rooftop overlooking Trocadero, warmly lit by the early morning rays of sunshine. "Chat?"

"LB," I replied neutrally. "Thanks for the assist."

Her blue eyes searched my gaze. "That was incredibly brave of you, Chat," she said, and I could see some concern in her expression. "I'm sorry I didn't receive your message. You should have tried-"

"To what?" I said, my anger finally coming alive. "Call your alter-ego instead? Reach out to Rena or Carapace? Oh, wait, I don't know who _any_ of you are outside the mask, do I?"

She looked at me and started to say something, but the tumble of my emotions finally broke free.

"I love you, Ladybug," I said. "It's not fake, and it's never been a game for me. My feelings are real and always have been."

I stood. "Yes," I said hotly, "I _was _trying to soften you up. Because you've never taken the time to actually _talk_ to me! All I wanted was a chance, Ladybug." I turned away from her, crossing my arms and feeling the flush on my face as I laid bare everything. "There's more to me than cat ears and puns." I looked back at her. "A lot more."

I watched as the color drained from her face with the realization that her conversation with me earlier had spawned the akuma butterfly. I nodded as I saw it. "Exactly," I confirmed. "It found me mere minutes after you left."

"We can't-"

I waved a paw at her. "I know, you've told me that a million times now." I turned away again and pulled my baton from the small of my back. "I get it. I won't push the issue any longer."

"Chat-"

"See you around, Milady," I said, my anger finally drained only to be replaced with the ache of having my dreams dashed. I started to vault away from her.

"Oh for crying out loud," I heard her say.

That was all I registered before her yo-yo wrapped itself around my midsection, pinning my arms to my sides. I was so shocked that I nearly dropped my baton a fraction of a moment before she reeled me back in. She carefully turned me toward her, and I found myself staring into her deep blue eyes.

As always, just seeing them started to melt me. How I could have been angry was suddenly beyond the realm of possibility. But my heart ached more, knowing there could never be a _there_, there.

"Mind if I say something?" she said, sweetly.

"I'm not in a position to object," I observed.

"Hear me very carefully," Ladybug said. "I'm sorry. You mean the world to me, Chat and I do care for you, deeply. I just don't think it's wise for us to pursue it. You've got to understand that."

"How can you know that?" I asked, my anger flaming again. "Look at Carapace and Rena!"

That brought her up short. "What… what do you mean?" she asked back.

I rolled my eyes. "And I thought _I_ was the thick one. Clearly those two are in love and I would submit it hasn't made them any less effective as partners." What I didn't add was my certainty that they knew each other outside the masks, too, but that was another fight for another day.

"That's not the same thing-"

"Isn't it?" I tried to shrug, which was a little tough given my restricted movement. "All I'm saying is we won't know until we've given it a shot." I looked at her. "At least, I'd like the chance to try and convince you."

Ladybug considered me, and my heart skipped a beat: she was actually thinking it over. I waited, though in fairness, it wasn't like I could go anywhere. At length, she unwound the yo-yo from me and then placed a hand on my shoulder.

"No promises," she said. "I'm still convinced this is a bad idea. But I feel like I owe it to you to let you try."

It was a small opening, but I was going to take it. While not the path I'd thought I originally take, it wasn't as if ever gave us explicit directions. I'd make the most of it. I hadn't missed exactly what she had said, either.

_I care for you, deeply._

Trying to keep my elation from showing too much, I picked up her hand and kissed it grandly. "You won't regret this," I purred, finally having found my way back.

She rolled her eyes. "I already am…"


	6. Lucky Charm

July 6: Lucky Charm

_Author's Note: Epcot97 here with LyraMaeArcher and a story idea inspired by our frequent collaborator, DearestMrIcarus. Frustrated with a recent run of what he considers bad luck, Ladybug decides to make Chat a "good luck" charm to help turn him around. But when an akuma gets involved, the charm becomes more than anyone anticipated._

_Ep: Once more I am obligated to read this statement from our lawyers regarding our lack of ownership of _Miraculous_: =ahem= When, in the course of human events - hey, wait a minute, this looks familiar..._

_Lyra: Oh, goodie. Legal text. That's not going to put anyone to sleep. Speaking of sleep, this story kept making me yawn, but I promise it wasn't from boredom. _

_CM: I didn't yawn at ::yawn:: all while reading this..._

* * *

Chat Noir yawned wildly from his perch atop an antenna aerial. True to her word, Ladybug had earnestly begun to spend time with him beyond the moments they were thrown together as superheroes protecting Paris. The past few weeks had been some of the best of his life, and he'd felt that he'd made significant progress in helping Ladybug get to know him - at least, as much of him as he felt he could share, without revealing who he really was beneath the mask. As they grew their relationship, he'd begun pouring more and more of his heart out to her, giving Ladybug, perhaps, a bit _too _much of a window into his loneliness and sense that he was generally unlucky when it came to love and friendship.

That had prompted her to present him with the first gift she'd ever given him. She'd started to hand it to Chat about a week earlier, but the quiet moment they were experiencing was shattered with the typical screams associated with an akuma. He'd gotten a glance at the bracelet she'd clearly made for him by hand a moment before she'd stashed it back in her yo-yo and the two of them had turned to face off with PackRat.

The battle had not been especially long, though he'd been angered by the fact Ladybug had taken a direct hit from the akuma in the process of using her Lucky Charm on him. The resulting flash had blinded Chat, but by the time he'd reached Ladybug's side, she'd already freed the butterfly and was halfway done purifying it.

With her earrings counting down, Ladybug had hurriedly handed him what she called his very own Lucky Charm, proof positive that he could make his own luck when needed. He swooped in for a thank you kiss only to be bopped on the head with the yo-yo before she'd sailed away. Smiling as he watched her lasso her way through the sky, he quickly slipped the bracelet over his costumed wrist, watching it snug in slightly on his cuff.

In the week since, though, he'd been having trouble sleeping. For his dreams had been filled with sequences of blurry memories, memories that were definitely not his. He'd wanted to talk to Ladybug about it, but Hawkmoth had been suspiciously quiet - and they hadn't agreed to meet again socially until that very evening. While they had both adjusted their superhero phones to call forward after that near miss with the Chat Akuma, he was desperately trying not to push too hard, so calling her early had been out of the question.

As a consequence, however, Chat was tired. Very, very tired.

School proved to be difficult. His attention was scattered at best and he found himself frequently dozing off only to jerk awake in a state of semi-confusion as pieces of the dreams that he could partly remember rattled around in his brain. A bunny themed birthday cake. Twinkling laughter. The feeling of wind rushing past cheeks on a crisp evening. Nino gave him an elbow in the ribs, frowning slightly, wondering if he was ok. Passing it off as a rough night, Adrien stumbled to the waiting car and headed home for lunch.

Nathalie's keen observation skills ended up with him getting the afternoon off, which was fine with him as he crawled into bed and snuggled down into the pillow. Plagg, never really one to complain about a day dedicated to sleeping, curled up on the pillow next to Adrien's head and it wasn't long before both of them had fallen asleep.

The dream began almost right away - a flash of a memory from the rooftops of Paris. It felt familiar and yet different somehow. Turning around, he found himself face to face with himself. The cat version of himself anyway. With a cocky grin, one that he knew well, the dream cat challenged him to a race and ran off. Not to be left behind, the body he was in tore off in pursuit, wind blasting across cheeks. Arms stretched out in front revealed red gloved hands and limbs, a whizzing of a yo-yo, the freeing sensation of swinging through the air.

He felt dizzy - or was that her? Elated and joyful - or was that her? Determined - that was definitely her. Through her eyes, he watched himself vaulting and helicoptering through the city as she chased along with amusement and laughter.

It felt like an intrusion to be in her head. To feel what she felt. To see what she saw.

With some effort, he shook the dream off, taking control before it went any farther, only to slip into the next one right away.

This time, he knew exactly where they were. Perched at the top floor of the Eiffel Tower, their favourite place. His own voice rumbled beside him, telling some cheesy joke, and the feelings of both irritation and hidden humour rippled through her thoughts. She did like his puns! Shock filled him as he felt her obligatorily roll her eyes while biting her tongue.

A flash shifted the scene again to one in the midst of an akuma. She was desperately looking around for a clue on what to do as he fought the evil version of herself. In awe, he watched her make a plan before yanking his tail back to the wall with her. He always knew she was a quick thinker, but watching it firsthand from her point of view was unreal. She felt weaker than the last two visions, as if her powers were gone, but before he could remember anything she was on the run across the rooftops, jumping without hesitation off the edge, completely trusting that he would be right behind her. He felt his own arms push her higher mid-jump and successfully tear open the pillow holding nightmare dust before they landed on the ground.

Memory after memory of various moments from Ladybug's view point left him feeling like he was both invading something private and finally understanding her at the same time. He struggled to wake up, not sure he should be privy to such a viewpoint.

Another flash and suddenly he was at school. Her heart was pounding as she looked around and came face to face with himself - Adrien.

With a jolt, Adrien sat upright wide awake.

"Plagg," he croaked. "I think Ladybug knows me."

The tiny kwami was still snuggled onto the pillow and simply cracked open a green eye. "Of course she does, kid."

Sliding to the edge of his bed, Adrien turned toward Plagg. "No, Plagg, I think she knows _me_ \- my civilian identity! We go to school together!"

_That_ made Plagg sit up. "Whaddya mean?" he asked, looking carefully at his holder.

"I can't explain it. You know those dreams I've been telling you about?"

Plagg nodded.

"They've been getting more realistic, almost as if I'm reliving Ladybug's memories."

Plagg could see the worry that lined the tired teen's face, and then realized how unrested Adrien was despite sleeping away most of the afternoon. "Exactly how long have you been experiencing the dreams?" he asked.

"A week, maybe," Adrien replied, yawning wildly. His eyes fell on his phone in the dock and then widened. "We're gonna be late!" he cried. "Plagg - claws out!"

"Wait-!" Plagg tried, but was pulled into Adrien's ring before he could continue.

Chat hurdled over the couch and vaulted through the window of the bedroom, helicoptering into the gathering evening. He was as a rule always early for his meet-ups with Ladybug; partly it was due to his excitement at actually having a chance to hang out with her, but mostly it was to ensure he was calm, cool and collected when she finally arrived. That night, thought, he was very late, and as the wind whipped through his wild mane, he worried that Ladybug might not wait for him and assume he'd stood her up. After working so hard to establish non-akuma time with her, it was the last thing he'd want her to think.

He started breathing again when the rooftop came into view and he could see her pacing the space, alternating between looking at her Bug Phone and scanning the horizon. Still somewhat tired, he opted for expediency and simply dropped in next to her with none of his usual flair. "Milady, I am _so_ sorry. I took a quick catnap this afternoon and wound up oversleeping."

Ladybug examined her kitty, and saw the exhaustion on his face. "When was the last time you actually rested?" she asked pointedly.

"A few days," he admitted. "I kind of wanted to talk to you about it."

She glared at him. "It's been more than a few days, hasn't it?"

"Maybe," Chat replied. Ladybug realized he had none of his usual attitude; for once, he was coming across as a normal teenager, albeit one dressed in a cat costume. That worried her greatly.

Ladybug sat down cross-legged on the flat rooftop and beckoned Chat to do the same. Folding himself in beside her, she said, pointedly, "Tell me everything."

Between more and more frequent yawns, one of which exposed his molars, Chat sketched in the dreams he'd been experiencing, finishing off with the most recent ones he had that afternoon. He hesitated, though, before plunging into the last part. "I… I don't exactly know how to explain it, LB, but I feel like I'm seeing your memories. All of them," he ventured carefully.

Her face remained impassive and thoughtful, but he could see some turmoil in those blue eyes of hers. He nodded a bit at the unanswered question. "Yes," he said, "I think you know my alter-ego. But you haven't made the connection yet.."

"But you don't know who I am?"

"Not yet," he admitted. "But if this keeps going, I think I'll figure it out sooner or later." Chat yawned again, and realized that if he continued to see more memories from their time at school, it would be pretty easy to figure out her alter-ego. He looked at her again. "That's not the way I want to learn your secret, Milady," he said quietly. "And I am extremely uncomfortable reliving your moments. They are intrinsically purrsonal, and I feel like I am intruding in the worst possible way."

"You should have told me the moment this started," she said.

"It was nothing-"

"It's _something_," she countered.

He yawned again, and scratched idly behind a feline ear. "I didn't want you to think I was overreacting," he said after some thought. "You entrusted me with the ability to call you if needed, and I didn't want you to think I'd just reached out-"

"Chat, stop." Her glare softened a bit. She was still annoyed that Chat hadn't immediately told her - clearly he was having symptoms from some sort of exposure to one of their recent akumas - but she could also see the worry in his expression that he might make a misstep in their burgeoning relationship. Sighing, it was the exact sort of conflict she had long worried a deeper relationship with her partner would engender.

But that ship had sailed, hadn't it?

"This is exactly _why_ we set our phones up, Chat. I'll consider this an object lesson. Now, when, _exactly_, did this start?"

He tapped his claw on the tile and cocked his head thoughtfully. "Around the time we fought PackRat, if I had to guess," he finally said. "Maybe that night, or the night after?"

Ladybug considered that. In the week since, they hadn't seen another akuma. "What do you remember from our fight with him, then?" she asked. "It has to be something that happened during that akuma attack."

Together, they reflected on the battle with that particular akuma, trying to piece together the moments and hits that might have affected Chat in such a way. Nothing seemed to fit that would cause memories to be shared. Chat found it hard to focus, the constant need for yawning interrupting as his brain constantly attempted to drift off to sleep.

Nudging her partner for what seemed like the 100th time in order to keep him awake, Ladybug desperately tried to think about what could be happening to him. Physically, he seemed fine, other than his constant desire for sleep. She racked her brain. The only other thing that had happened the night of that akuma was the gift she had given him. The lucky charm.

Looking at his wrist, she eyed the set of beads curiously. Could they be the reason that Chat was seeing her memories? He yawned again, rubbing his eyes with the back of his gloved hand.

"Chat, maybe - " A crash drew her attention away, focusing it on a nearby puff of smoke that appeared over the skyline. "Can you fight? Or do you need to sit this one out?" She helped Chat to his feet, ignoring the cheesy grin he shot her.

"For you, milady, anything." The half-hearted comment was punctuated with another yawn. Frowning, Ladybug threw herself to the battle, with Chat sloppily following behind. Spying the obvious location of the akuma, she swung herself into action, making a conscious decision to not involve Chat more than necessary since he was barely able to keep his feet under him.

It was over quickly, thankfully, butterfly cleansed and set back into the sky, and she turned to her partner to find him curled up on a patch of grass. With a gentle jab, she forced him awake.

"Go home. Sleep. Maybe you just need more sleep," she offered, shoving him softly in hopes to get his feet moving. With a nod, he extended the baton and jumped to the rooftops. As he vanished from view Ladybug decided she needed to have a talk with Tikki and bounded home herself.

Tikki wasn't sure what was going on herself. It certainly was strange for Chat to be dreaming Ladybug's dreams, no matter how connected or destined they were for each other.

"Do you think he will figure out who I am?" wondered Marinette. Her eyes popped wide, hand slapped to her mouth. "Oh no, Tikki. What about Adrien? He's going to find out about how much I love Adrien!" A flush burnt her cheeks. Tikki just chuckled.

"Oh, Marinette. It is going to be ok. I promise." Marinette wasn't completely convinced, but let her friend talk her down from panic land, tucking herself into bed while hoping that Chat's dreams were more peaceful tonight and less about her.

Chat, on the other hand, had barely made it home, tumbling in through the open window of his room and flopping on the couch. Somehow, he managed to transform, although he didn't really remember how. His brain kept fluttering between his reality and flashbacks of Ladybug's memories. It made it really hard to keep track of where he was.

Plagg looked very unhappy, side-eyeing him from the fridge while he pulled out his stash of cheese. Adrien didn't have the energy to deal with Plagg's usual brand of annoyance, instead dragging himself over to his bed and collapsing on it for the night.

The continued visions from Ladybug's viewpoint haunted him all night. Every time a memory that seemed too personal or too much from her civilian self would pop up, he would try to desperately control the dream and shove it aside. Panic set in whenever he would recognize something he didn't think he should - voices he knew, places he had been, faces he had seen.

His alarm going off was both a blessing and a curse. The dreams stopped, but he didn't think he'd actually slept much. Dragging himself off the bed, he robotically got ready for school, a feeling of stiffness in his joints.

Thankfully, Plagg didn't say a work - simply packing himself into Adrien's bag with his precious snack for the day. Nathalie didn't seem impressed that Adrien had managed to seem more tired after giving him the rest of the day before off, but sent him off to school with his schedule and expectations for the day.

Slumping in the back seat of the car, Adrien stared out the window, seeing more on the inside of his head than through his own eyes.

Why was he seeing the world as Ladybug? How could they make this stop before he saw who she was? With a sigh, he thanked the Gorilla for the ride and slid out of the car. His feet felt sluggish - a match to his brain he supposed, and he tripped on the front stairs, landing harshly on his knees.

A feeling of having done this before flashed through him, along with both the sensation of embarrassment. He had never tripped on the school steps before, so what was this? A memory of Ladybug as deja vu?

He felt worried now. It seemed like figuring out her identity was right there, looming at the edges of his mind. Gathering his belongings that had dropped when he fell, he got to his feet in time for Chloe to make some comment about having lost his model suave. Shooting her a dark look, he made his way inside and sat in his seat.

"Dude, you look worse than yesterday. I thought you said you were going to sleep yesterday afternoon when you got home?" Nino said, putting his fist out for their traditional bro morning fist bump.

"I did. It just didn't help," admitted Adrien, trying to smother a yawn with his hand. Today was going to suck. He could feel it.

As the morning progressed, Adrien found it increasingly difficult to focus on his teachers. More than once he caught himself nodding off, snapping himself back upright. Somehow, he managed to make it to the lunch period, but not without a massively sore neck. Adrien slowly packed up his school materials, his fuzzy mind reminding him it was cheddar soup day at the bakery. Some part of him seemed to think that sounded like a delectable option, and he trotted down the steps and out the door to the classroom oblivious to Nino's question regarding his lunch plans.

Completely on autopilot now, Adrien trotted down the front steps of the school and right past Gorilla and the waiting sedan. He needed to replenish his macaroon supply, too, he realized; no, that wasn't quite right, was it? Plagg liked cheese, though he wondered if Plagg might have a secret sweet tooth. Yet, he did need more macaroons...

He arrived at the Bakery and inserted himself into the lunch line that had formed; Sabine smiled at him warmly, though it faltered when he ordered the soup. "Are you sure, Adrien?" she asked. "I didn't think-"

Adrien frowned. "Of course I do! It's my favorite-" and then he paused, frowning deeper. For he was certain he'd been on the cusp of calling Sabine _maman._ And, now that he thought about it, he actually didn't like cheddar soup at all. Or did he?

Head swimming, he tried a weak smile for Sabine and ordered a croissant instead, then pulled himself out of the line of waiting customers. Adrien blinked and somehow made it to the fountain in the park a block or so from the Bakery, with just crumbs in his hands. He had his back against the concrete, and as the midday sun was comfortably warm, he closed his eyes for just a moment to soak in the rays.

Blinking again, he was on his side, curled into a cat-like ball upon the rim of the fountain, staring up at a concerned Nino.

"Dude, this can't be the most comfortable place for a nap," he said, helping Adrien up.

"Was I…?"

"Soundly," Nino nodded. "Should you go see the school nurse? Or do you want to go home? You're not going to make it through the afternoon."

Adrien smiled again. "It's ironic. I can't get any sleep at night, yet I can't stay awake during the day. What's up with that?"

"Maybe you're secretly a vampire," Nino joshed as the two started back toward school.

They'd made it as far as the granite steps when the telltale tones of an akuma alert issued from their cellphones. Adrien grimaced and didn't bother retrieving his phone. "Go find your girlfriend," he said tiredly as he gently pushed Nino up the steps. "Let me make a quick scan to see if anyone is out here and I'll be right in."

Nino nodded and ran up the steps; Adrien dashed to the nearest alleyway and called for his transformation. The very act of becoming Chat Noir briefly recharged him, and he rode the baton up to the skyline of Paris, landing atop the school's roof. Popping open the phone function, he speed dialed Ladybug.

"Chat!" The tiny image of Ladybug practically yelled at him. "I'm almost there! The akuma is-"

"Right behind you," came a devious cackle.

Chat mentally reproached himself - he'd forgotten to clear the rooftop before calling Ladybug. He was going to be really angry with Chat. How many times had he _told_ that kitty-

_Wait_, he thought, examining his black-cladded arms. _Why isn't my costume red? Shouldn't it be red?_

The last thing he saw was a flash of brilliant blue energy and the glorious realization that he might, finally, get a chance to sleep...


	7. Bad Luck Charm

July 7: Bad Luck Charm

_Author's Note: Epcot97 here along with LyraMaeArcher and the finale (maybe?) of the tale we started yesterday. Ladybug has to fight off an akuma solo when Chat comes up missing; what she does find is a cute little Chat Noir action figure - a toy that appears to have a life of its own._

_Just a reminder: we own _Miraculous_. (Hah! We don't, just wanted to see if you were paying attention.)_

_Ep: I had to do in-depth research for this story, Lyra. That's why I was making zooming noises just now with my Chat Noir action figure. In case you were wondering._

_CM: Nobody was wondering. We wonder more when Plastic Chat is sitting quietly on the shelf. _

_Lyra: Sounds like reasonable research methods to me, Ep. ::hides all her KinderEgg characters under some papers::_

* * *

Ladybug landed in a crouch atop the roof of Dupont, and scanned the space for signs of her partner. She'd initially wanted to warn him about the akuma, but once she had seen how tired he looked on her small screen, she'd become more concerned that he wasn't entirely up to the task at hand.

Before she could tell him _anything_, though, he'd turned to look over his shoulder and then the connection had winked out. Carefully circling, she found no trace of Chat, nor could she see where the akuma had gone. Yo-yo still in hand, she flipped it back to phone mode, but Chat didn't answer. Continuing to creep around the rooftop, she switched to GPS mode and was rewarded with a green paw popping up a few meters away.

_At last!_ she thought. Moving to, and then peering over the edge to the courtyard, she finally found her missing akuma. He was standing just a bit away from one of the basketball hoops, and appeared to be very much alone. Squinting, she thought she could see, of all things, toys! Comprised of all shapes and sizes, they littered the courtyard and, she imagined, represented just about everyone who might have been in the building.

In her early days as Ladybug, she would have thought that odd. Now, she just added it to the list of amazing things akumas did to her fellow students, and sighed. The motivation for this akuma was going to be interesting.

But where was Chat? She flipped back to her yo-yo, and the green paw was still stubbornly blinking, indicating he was close. Like, next to her…?

_Unless he's shrunk too -_

Looking down at the tile of the roof, her eyes hit on a small toy, the black of the costume having allowed it to blend in with the roof tile. Ignoring the akuma for a moment, she leaned down further and sure enough, it _was_ a Chat Noir action figure, much like the one Ayla had on display in her room. (She really needed to have a talk with her best friend about how inappropriate it was to have the Ladybug action figure holding Chat's paw; it was highly inaccurate!)

She picked it up and held it in the direct sun. Aside from the toy-like armature, it was the spitting image of her partner, save for the fact the eyes were closed. In fact, the face had the peaceful angelic nature she'd seen on the few occasions when he'd grabbed a quick catnap while visiting Marinette on her balcony. Holding it in one hand, she moved it away from the yo-yo and watched the green paw on her display move accordingly.

_Well, this is awkward, _she thought. _But Miraculous Ladybug will fix this. Hopefully._

Popping open her yo-yo, she apologized to her partner and gently placed him inside her storage compartment, then spun it up to face the akuma.

Knocking her yo-yo mid-flight with a small detailed hammer, Ladybug found herself opposing a thin man whose height seemed unnaturally tall. A shock of bright blue hair stood on top of his head, while a heavy leather apron draped around his neck, deep pockets revealing the tips of various tools. Perched on his hawk-like nose was a set of small spectacles through which he peered at her with curiosity.

The hammer swung dangerously close to her shoulder, wielded with both skill and speed. Ladybug got the immediate impression that being clocked with that hammer would mean more than a sore shoulder. Twirling out of range, she shifted her weight onto her heels, rocking back to avoid the counter swing. Her action to keep out of range put her directly into the target of a sharply pointed awl that he tossed unseen with his other hand, scooped from one of the pockets. With a bitter sting, it landed in her shoulder, making her yelp as it pierced through her suit and bit her skin beneath.

This Akuma was going to be more dangerous than she had originally expected. Removing the nail from her shoulder, she did a quick survey of the area, keeping one eye on the ToyMaker as he made another swing with his hammer.

Smooth movements launched her over the man's head with a single throw and pull against her yo-yo string, landing lithely on the rim of the basketball net. She couldn't afford to step on any of her action figured classmates.

"No one appreciates hand-made toys anymore! It's all about these factory made plastic pieces of junk!" ToyMaker spat. "I'm going to make my own collection of one of a kind toys! Including you, Ladybug!"

Hammer raised high, ToyMaker jumped towards her. Ladybug bounded off the backboard of the net, landing on a clear space on the grass behind it just as the tool clanged heavily with the wood. As the echoes of the hit faded, a new sound began - like the rushing of fast water over rocks and the basketball net shrunk to a miniature size, barely reaching the ToyMaker's knees.

Noted: Stay away from the hammer, she thought. Although, it seemed pretty likely that the hammer would also be the item she had to claim. With a sprint, she bolted across the school yard and around the corner of the building, aiming to stay out of the way until a plan fell in place. Peeking back around the edge of the building revealed ToyMaker scooping up the various people and items that he'd miniaturized, popping them into a small box beside him.

A quiet yell of her Lucky Charm produced a set of red and black spotted plastic toy cars. Seriously? More toys? No real time for thought as she watched her friends and teachers getting dropped into the box, Ladybug whistled loudly, drawing the attention of the villain.

He turned to look at her, hammer at the ready, his lanky legs making impressively long strides across the pavement in her direction. When he was close, she threw one of the cars at the ground near his feet. With a surprised look, he stopped mid-step, reaching down to grab the little item. A quick adjustment of his spectacles, he brought it close to his face, blinking slightly.

"What?! This is a cheap knockoff!" he shouted, throwing the car to the ground and returning to his march towards her. One by one, she threw the cars, making him snarl in annoyance. One car left, she waited patiently, willing herself not to move just yet.

He was close enough to swing his hammer at her now. His foot raised for one last step, she carefully aimed the toy car to where it would land. The wheels spun on impact, throwing the man backwards slightly. Quickly she jumped, sliding under the fist with the tool, grabbing him around the wrist and tugging him back first to the ground. Prying the hammer out of his fingers, she held it over her knee, cracking it sideways over her leg and breathing a sigh of relief as a blackened butterfly came free.

It was time to save her kitty. Yo-yo spinning, off it flew to purify the Akuma before Ladybug tossed the cars into the air with a loud call of "Miraculous Ladybug," releasing the welcoming rush of her ladybug helpers filled the air.

As they swirled through the school, the toys vanished and were replaced by her schoolmates and the faculty; all wore the dazed expression victims of akumas often sported. That was normally when Chat stepped in, consoling them and ensuring everyone was okay. Scanning the crowd, she thought perhaps everyone was accounted for… but the way the crowd was milling, it was difficult to be sure.

She could be sure that at least one person was missing, though. Ladybug had expected Chat to magically appear after she called upon her cleansing spell, and frowned when there was no trace of his feline ears in the crowd. She frowned deeper after popping open her yo-yo and upended it, causing the Chat Noir action figure to fall into her palm.

Holding it up, she could still see how peaceful he looked, and wondered two things: had being inside the yo-yo prevented the ladybugs from restoring him? Or, were the strange dreams he'd been telling her about a symptom of something that affected him earlier, predating _this_ akuma and therefore unaffected by her spell?

There was only one way to know for sure. She apologized to Chat again, and, after stuffing him back into the yo-yo's storage compartment, she zipped her way out of the courtyard and headed toward the Bakery and it's relative safety without giving it a second thought.

She knew her parents would still be working the early afternoon lunch crowd, so once she landed on the rooftop patio, she hurried through the skylight and slid down her steps to the room below. Once more she popped Chat out of her storage compartment, and carefully stood him up on her computer desk before dropping her transformation.

"This is a thorny problem," she said to Tikki as she fished out some macaroons for her hungry kwami. "I'm hoping just calling Miraculous Ladybug again will correct this."

Tikki didn't look convinced as she floated next to the immobile action figure. "Marinette, Miraculous Ladybug doesn't work that way. On the other hand- _eeek_!"

The pink kwami let out a yelp and flew behind Marinette. "What?!" Marinette asked. "What is it?"

"It… it moved!" Tikki cried.

Marinette started to object - it was a toy, after all - and she leaned down to prove it. Only when she did so, she could clearly see the eyes on the action figure were now _open_.

Then, very slowly, they _blinked_.

She sat back in her seat. "Now _that_ is freaky." Marinette leaned down and looked at her partner, who appeared to actually be looking back at her. "I'll get you out of this," she said. "Just hold on."

"Marinette! Be careful, you're not transformed," Tikki whispered in her ear.

Marinette shot up in her seat - she'd been so focused on mini-Chat, she'd forgotten her situation. "Uh," she said quickly, unsure if Chat could actually hear her, "Ladybug had to bug out but she'll be right back. She asked me to keep you safe until she could return. Is that okay?"

To her surprise, the little head nodded. And, she thought, the eyes had narrowed a bit. And was that a smirk on the face? Marinette decided to ignore the possibility that he'd seen Tikki. Sliding across the floor in her chair, she rummaged through her sewing supplied for her magnifying lens, then slid back to Chat. Peering through it, she could see his ring was still glowing; when she examined his other arm, she found the lucky charm she'd given him was still hugging his wrist, just in front of the cowl.

"I'm starting to think this might be part of our problem," she murmured. Sliding back to her sewing desk, she dug through it again but couldn't come up with a tool tiny enough to carefully remove the charm. Returning to the mini black-cladded figure, she frowned down at her partner, who had managed to turn his head up to her. Marinette tried not to freak out that the little action figure was alive in more ways than one.

Squinting at him, she realized his arm had moved and was pointing at her - well, not her exactly, but over her shoulder…? She turned, but nothing was there. Tikki had fled to the safety of her purse. Marinette turned again, but mini-Chat was still pointing at her shoulder.

Then it dawned on her. Not her shoulder. Her earrings. He'd seen Tikki the first time; she'd need to deal with that now, it seemed. But then she understood what he was trying to tell her. "You are a smart one, aren't you," she laughed as she leaned down and gave the tiny figure a sweet kiss between the ears.

"Tikki - spots on!" she cried, and once the transformation faded, she immediately called for her Lucky Charm. The magical ladybugs dropped a polka-dotted leather holder of some kind into her lap; opening it, she found it had an assortment of small tools a jeweler or watchsmith would use, perfect for working on an itsy-bitsy Chat Noir. There was also an additional magnifying lense that sat upon a waldo, which she quickly set up and focused on Chat's arm.

She grabbed a tweezer-like item from the kit and then carefully threaded it under the lucky charm; once she had enough space, she retrieved the miniature scissors and carefully snipped the tiny cord. The charm slipped off his wrist and dropped to the top of the desk with a soft _plonk_. If it was even possible, the little Chat figure seemed to be smiling wider than before.

"Don't let it go to your head, Chat," she laughed as she put the tools away and snapped the toolkit closed. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought, then she tossed into the air, crying: "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Her red helpers burst into life and swathed her partner in ribbons of energy. Belatedly, she realized leaving him on the desk might have been a mistake, once that was confirmed when there was a burst of red light and a full-sized Chat was standing in front of her computer.

"Ow!" he said, as his blond mane had hit the underside of her loft bed. Rubbing between the feline ears with his paws, he cracked open an eye long enough to say: "Thank you, Milady. I don't know why they call that an 'action figure.' My meowvement was pretty restricted."

Ladybug offered him a hand, which he took and kissed before jumping to the carpet. "How do you feel?" she asked, looking him over critically.

"Refreshed, at last," he smiled. "And as much as I love you, I'm afraid reliving all of your memories, endlessly, was getting a little bit old."

"My memories?" Ladybug asked. "What do you mean?"

Chat turned and picked up what was left of her gift from the desk. "Remember when PackRat hit you with his beam?"

She nodded. "It stung for a bit, but there were no after effects."

"There were," he said. "His penchant for saving things essentially downloaded all of your memories into this little beauty. When I put it on, the spell must have still be in flux; it was slowly trying to insert those memories back into _me_."

"That explains why you were having trouble sleeping," she nodded thoughtfully. "REM sleep is normally when your brain decompresses. I'll bet that was the most active time it tried to merge my memories into yours."

"Exactly," he nodded. For some reason, he continued to smile at her, with just a trace of a smirk.

"What?" she asked cautiously.

He laughed a little nervously, and put a paw to the back of his neck. "I'm afraid your good luck charm turned into something a bit nefarious," he started, "but in the end, it actually worked! I've found the girl of my dreams."

"You did?" she asked. "Who is it?"

Unexpectedly, he pulled her into his arms. "I know you're in love with me, Milady," he said simply. "And as it so happens, I love you, too."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Ladybug said, her face flushing. If he'd seen all of her memories, he'd know that though she was quite fond of her kitty, her heart was with-

_Oh, _she thought abruptly, a cascade of emotions flooding her brain. _That means Chat is-_

He saw her make the connection. "Surprise!" he said happily, as he put his chin on her head. "So," he asked, "does this mean we can finally date?"

Still processing what had just happened, Ladybug turned her head up. "_Date_? You and me?"

"Well, I suppose you have a few choices," he said, smiling slyly. "You can date the roguish Chat, or the more reserved Adrien." He smiled wider. "Either way, at the end of the day, it's still me." Hugging her again, he felt her tenseness and added, "This is a lot to process, Marinette, and I don't mean to make light of it."

Letting her go, he took a step back. "I'll go," he said softly, worrying a bit at her quietness. "We can talk about this later-oof!"

"You silly kitty!" she cried as she tackled him. "Of course I'll date you." She returned the sly smile. "Now, how about a kiss?"

Chat Noir was more than happy to oblige.


	8. Homework

July 8: Homework

_Author's Note: Epcot97 here, joined by ChubbyUnicornMama - two people who've not seen homework assignments in, shall we say, a few years. Today we check in on our two favorite heroes as Chat inadvertently reveals his prowess in mathematics - an area where Ladybug needs a little extra tutoring._

_Ep: By the way, CM, what was your favorite subject in school? Mine was Composition (hah!), but Biology was a close second._

_CM: Maths. Followed by Physics, Biology and Chemistry! The only thing I liked less than Language Arts was Economics._

_Lyra: In case you were curious…. My favourite high school subjects were Music and English. Interestingly enough, those were about the only classes I took in English (although that's not why I liked them best.) The rest were in French!_

_CM: You hear that, Ep, Lyra speaks French! We DEFINITELY stand a chance of getting those rights, now!_

* * *

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

The red helpers swarmed from Ladybug's tossed yo-yo, flying across Paris to repair the damage Bear Market had brought to the city. A disillusioned stock broker, Bear Market had pounded the Financial District to rubble in order to work out his anger at betting big - and losing bigger - on a tech startup that had tanked on it's first day of trading.

Chat was kneeling next to the victim as he usually did, consoling the three-piece-suit-wearing young man as soon as the purple wave had released him from Hawkmoth's control. As Ladybug rolled up her yo-yo and wandered over to the twosome, she caught snatches of their conversation - intriguing but somewhat nonsensical to her.

"-the P/E curve was slanted, but not enough to have been a worry," the broker was saying.

Chat had a knowing nod. "But with such a new stock, there's no way you could have done a regression analysis." He tapped a claw to his chin. "Unless you tried to use similar companies in that market segment."

"I did, but the-"

"I bet the expense ratios where different enough, it threw your whole model out of whack."

Ladybug's eyes were as wide as the brokers. "How did you know that?" they both asked.

Chat was smirking. "Doesn't every cat follow the market?" he chuckled. "It's just math, Milady," he explained. "I enjoy working with numbers. I suppose it helps that my alter-ego has a vested interest in understanding what drives market trends, and knowing the math behind it is pretty important."

As the broker wandered back toward his now rebuilt office building, Ladybug caught Chat by his costumed arm. Earrings chirping, she quickly asked him: "Are you good in math? _Really _good?"

Caught off guard by the question, Chat answered without thinking: "Yes, Milady. I'm better in some aspects than others - Physics, for example, is a favorite area -" and then he stopped short, realizing he might be giving away something. "Well, among others. Why? Do you need help with something?"

"I do," she replied. "Would you mind helping me?"

Sensing an opportunity, Chat immediately agreed to meet with her the following evening for a one-on-one tutoring session.

The next evening they met up on the rooftop that they had agreed upon. Ladybug had taken a few precautions with her homework, having written out all the problems by hand on a piece of paper, so that there was no possibility of the book being recognized.

Of course she did. Chat mentally rolled her eyes at Ladybug's thoroughness in protecting her identity. Chances were they had completely different textbooks. They probably were not even in the same grade. He took a few moments to admire her handwriting, before turning his attention to the problems.

"So, Ladybug, what exactly is it that you don't understand?"

Smiling, Ladybug explained that she understood the theory behind the geometric proofs, and knew whether something was true or not, she struggled with how to get through all the intermediary steps.

Chat pointed to the first problem, and asked her to work it out to the best of her ability. As Ladybug started going through the steps of the proof, Chat felt a tickle in the back of his mind that the problem felt very familiar. He shrugged it off as Ladybug became frustrated, wondering aloud where she needed to go from there. She knew the answer, just not how to get there. Chat asked her how she knew the answer, and she was able to explain it without a problem. Pointing a clawed finger at his partner's chest, he said, "Exactly! That. Say that. A proof is about going step by step to explain why something is true."

Ladybug did it, and moved on to the next one, the niggling at the back of Chat's mind growing as he looked over her completed problem. "You've got this Milady. You know what you're doing."

Grinning at him, She thanked him profusely, and threw her arms around him for a quick hug. "Don't think you've escaped Kitty! You made this so much easier. Can we do homework together again? Maybe in two days?"

Chat made a show of thinking it over. "Well, if I have nothing else to do, I suppose I could…" He broke off as he lost control of the grin that was spreading across his face. "Of course I will. On one condition."

"What's that?" Ladybug asked hesitantly.

Smiling his trademark smirk, Chat asked, "Bring snacks?"

With a laugh, Ladybug agreed.

Two nights later, during a period of quietude on the part of Hawkmoth, Chat arrived right on schedule at the same rooftop they'd used previously. As before, he noted she had taken the trouble to transcribe the problems once more. Chat couldn't help smiling at the careful precautions Ladybug was taking.

That evening he had slung a nondescript backpack over his costumed shoulder, after similarly ensuring there was nothing remotely tying it to his alter-ego. His wardrobe tended to be bereft of items not containing the House of Gabriel logo, but a few surreptitious internet purchases had resulted in the stray Nike or Adidas gear - neither of which had ever been seen gracing Adrien's presence. Unzipping his backpack, he pulled out a similarly brand-neutral beach blanket and made a great show of shaking it out and laying it down for the two of them.

Laughing, Ladybug turned to her own bag. She, too, had tried to use something that couldn't be tied to Marinette. In this case, it was a bulky briefcase her father used when meeting with vendors. Popping it open, she removed a carefully wrapped plate of macaroons, and then a second one containing a general assortment of pastries.

Chat's eyes fell upon the macaroons, which he immediately recognized. "You went to Dupain-Cheng?" he asked, masked eyes widening.

"Yes," Ladybug answered smoothly. She knew Chat had been to the Bakery a few times, once even having brunch with her and her family - at least, as much brunch as they could get in before Tom had become akumatized. But she had noted her kitty had a sweet tooth and had planned accordingly. "Only the best for the best tutor in Paris!"

Chat happily snagged a macaroon with a claw and popped it into his mouth whole. Giving it a chew, his eyes closed in bliss. "Wonderful," he said, snagging another.

"Hey now," she joshed. "Let's do some work to earn those, shall we?"

"Of course, Milady," he grinned, but not before snagging _two _more with those lightening fast cat reflexes.

Ladybug pointed to the first question. "I tried to go through this one the same way we did together, but I keep getting hung up…"

Nodding as though he was listening to her, Chat found himself focusing more on the familiarity of the question. As with their prior session, he was growing more certain he had seen it before. "Show me where you are getting stuck," he said when he realized she'd been waiting for him, expectant expression on her face.

Ladybug turned to the paper and started to work through the problem, tapping her pencil when she got further into it and more frustrated with her ability to get the proof to come out. He poked a claw here and there to prod her back onto the correct pathway, but only part of his feline brain was engaged. A fraction of a second after Ladybug had her "ah-hah!" moment, he had his own.

"I've got it now!" she said, scribbling the correct set of reasons onto her paper.

"I can see you do," he said, looking at her in a new light As she flipped to the next question she wanted help on, one whose providence he now knew, he decided to start his own proof on the fly. "All right, let's see if we can't get this one, too," he encouraged. "Then you can turn this in early for the extra credit," he added nonchalantly.

"I could really use it, too," Ladybug nodded. "Okay, starting from here…"

Again, he prodded her gently in a few spots, but her confidence was much higher now and she needed far fewer redirections. "And don't forget what Ms. Mendeleiv said - be sure to carry that line down to there," he added at one point, trying to keep the sly smile from his face. "You need to make sure it balances out."

"Oh _God_," Ladybug sighed, smacking her pencil against the paper. "I did forget that. Nice catch."

As she finished up the final part of the problem, Chat decided it was time to complete his own work. "I'm not looking forward to the exam on Friday," he groaned, partially squeezing his masked eyes shut to emphasize his pain. "I could really use a few rounds on _Ultimate Mecha Strike_," he added casually. "What do you say we pack up here and head back to your place? You deserve a break, too." He paused a beat. "I might even let you win once or twice."

Ladybug turned toward him. "Very funny, Chat," she laughed. "There are only two guys who've ever beat me at that game-" she stopped short, seeing the expression on her partner.

"I know," he said. "I'm one of them."

"Well, you are too short to be my dad." Ladybug laughed. "So you have to be Adrien. How-how long have you known who I was?"

Chat laughed, and then smirked at her knowingly. "Well, I started suspecting about five minutes ago, but I've known for sure for about thirty seconds."

Shaking her head, Ladybug grinned right back. "Well come on over, we'll play a few rounds, and if you manage to beat me, I'll even let you stay for dinner."

"You're on, Marinette."

They detransformed in an alley next to the bakery, and went up to Marinette's room to play a few rounds of Ultimate Mecha Strike III, and she even let him win.


	9. Helping Hand

July 9: Helping Hand

_Author's Note: Epcot97 back again with ChubbyUnicornMama for another collaborative chapter. Having helped Ladybug with her homework yesterday, we flip the situation and see how she can help Chat Noir as he works on a speech he needs to give at school. (The two stories are unrelated, though)_

_Ep: CM, I have a new plan for us to take over _Miraculous_. It involves a deal with this guy I met at the market - the horns were a bit off-putting, and he said something about selling my soul. Seems legit._

_CM: I'm in for selling your soul. I traded mine years ago for a chocolate cupcake. _

* * *

Chat paced the rooftop over the main library in Paris, holding his school tablet. While he'd never had trouble doing homework in his room at the mansion, this particular assignment had proven to be an issue. His history teacher had randomly handed out oral report topics, and in less than a week, he was supposed to give an overview of the American Declaration of Independence - specifically, how that particular document led to the efforts in late eighteenth century France to overthrow the monarchy and move toward democracy.

Being in front of an audience wasn't really an issue for the supermodel, but he rarely spoke in those situations. Pulling together a five to ten minute speech on a topic that was fundamentally uninteresting to him made him wish furvently he could schedule an akuma attack for his designated speaking slot. With all of the distractions conveniently at hand back in his bedroom, he'd opted to transform the last few evenings and land on random buildings in order to plug away at his task.

Realizing he had, once again, lost his place in the speech he'd written so far, Chat sighed and leaned against a convenient chimney. It was hopeless. If even _he_ wasn't interested in the topic in the first place, how would he be able to create any excitement in the audience? Popping open his baton and looking for any excuse not to continue, he randomly went into GPS mode and discovered Ladybug was two buildings over and moving in his direction.

He slipped his tablet under an arm and vaulted across the rooftops toward his partner. Chat managed to catch her a few blocks from the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, which would have been a backup excuse for him to avoid working on the speech had he not discovered Ladybug roaming. Soaring across the skyline with his baton, one handed, he cracked a sly smile at her when he pulled even. "Good evening, Milady," he said. "Out for a walk, are we?"

Long used to him appearing randomly when they were not called to an akuma alert, Ladybug smiled outwardly but inwardly groaned. She'd nearly made it back to the Bakery after an afternoon working on school projects with Ayla. As usual, she'd left later than planned and had risked transforming to get home faster, the risk being more that this very situation would crop up.

Subtly, she shifted her path away from the Bakery and toward a random spot in the city. "I am," she replied. "I needed to clear my mind a bit," she explained, which was true. Ayla had talked her into re-creating the Apollo landing sites on the moon for their science project and it was a time consuming effort.

"Same here," he said, easily keeping pace with her.

Not wanting to get _too _far away from the Bakery, Ladybug gently dropped to a rooftop a few blocks away from her home. Chat joined her, and she immediately saw why he'd been springing across the skyline single handed. "What's with the tablet?"

"Homework," he grimaced. "I'm having trouble with something, despite how much effort I put into it."

_That_ was an unusual admission from her partner. She was well aware of the intelligence he hid behind the goofy Chat Noir persona he wore, and her curiosity was piqued. "What's hanging you up?"

Chat looked at her for a moment, and then considered his tablet. He wasn't usually the one asking for help, in either persona; Chat had been more the one providing impromptu tutoring. He looked up at Ladybug again, knowing a fresh set of eyes might be handy, but also concerned that sharing his project with her could reveal more about his alter-ego than might be wise.

Very carefully, he said, "I'm doing a project on how the American Revolution lead to the French Revolution. I just don't know how to make it interesting."

Ladybug nodded. "Is it a paper? I always find it better if you get to do something more creative, whether it is a diorama, model, or even a speech, because then you can always dress up. "

"I am supposed to be doing something more creative. The problem is that I'm not creative. You know me. I'm much better at maths. Things with a straightforward answer. I chose speech. The problem is that I can't even stay awake for my whole presentation, so how can I expect anyone else to?"

"How long do you have?" Ladybug asked. "Not that I want to know exactly when you are giving it, but do we have hours or weeks?"

Chat smiled at the way she was trying to keep it vague. "About a week and a half. Why?"

"I think I may know where you can get a French Revolutionary Soldier's uniform. One of my father's friends was in a play where he played a soldier. He's taller than you, but I could probably roughly tailor it to fit." Ladybug clapped her hands in excitement, thinking of the play Mylene's father had been in a few years ago.

"You can sew? If not, I could probably find someone to do it for me." Chat looked at his partner in surprise, knowing if it was too much for her, he could take it to one of his father's seamstresses.

Smiling, Ladybug nodded. "A little. Enough to take in a few seams. Now, read me this boring speech."

Chat hesitated, not wanting to bring his tablet out and let her see everything he had been working on. Ladybug noticed his hesitation and shrugged. "How about I just turn around for today, and you read it to me, that way I don't see your tablet." This idea appeased him, and Ladybug turned around and listened as he began.

Less than a minute into his speech, she stopped him. "I'm sorry, Kitty, but that is definitely going to put everyone to sleep. You are so full of energy and passion, why is there none of that anywhere in your report? This is just a dry recitation of fact. Where's the humanity? Where are the stories? Where are the puns? OK, scratch that last one, no puns in your presentation."

"Milady! Did you just pun?"

Blushing, Ladybug changed the topic. "OK. Want to meet up Wednesday? I'll snag the uniform, and you make that presentation more interesting."

Chat nodded and confirmed the location. Bowing, he kissed her knuckles. "Thank you for your help!" With that, he bounded across the rooftops, and Ladybug dropped into a nearby alley, even later than she'd been when she left Alya's house.

Ladybug wasn't surprised to find him already waiting for her on their agreed-upon rooftop when Wednesday evening rolled around. Normally, he would be already turned in her direction, expectantly watching her approach, but that evening, he was pacing the rooftop, speaking to himself with occasional glances at his tablet. Only the swiveling of one of his feline ears in her direction let on that he knew she was near.

Gently landing on the tile, she unslung the garment bag she had over her shoulder. "Kitty," she said pleasantly. "Hold this for me while I unzip?" she asked.

"Absolutely, Milady," he said, setting his tablet down on the half wall closest to him.

Ladybug hooked the bag over his claw and unzipped the bag, then carefully pulled out the costume she'd (well, Marinette) had borrowed from Mylene. Comprised of breeches, a waistcoat with mandarin collar and stockings all in white, the ensemble was completed by a blue heavier overcoat, trimmed in accents of red. Gently laying them across a sidewall, she retrieved a traditional French tricorn hat, which Chat immediately grabbed with his free hand and gleefully tried to fit over his feline ears.

"Well," he said a bit sheepishly once he realized he'd have to fold both of his ears down to make it work, "I won't have to worry about that without my transformation."

"I'm shocked, simply shocked," Ladybug teased, "that you don't have cat ears in real life."

Chat rolled his eyes. "I might have to figure out how to keep them," he said, smiling slyly. "I think they give me and edge with the ladies."

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

Taking the bag off his claw, she stood back and contemplated Chat. His costume was, literally, skintight, so she reasoned having him don the uniform while transformed should give her somewhat accurate measurements. "Carefully put this on," she said to her partner, "and mind those claws! I need to return this intact."

"I'll thread myself in slowly," he winked, setting the hat down and then started to wiggle the breeches on.

Ladybug popped open her yo-yo storage area and removed her tape measure, saying as she worked, "Why don't you go through your new and improved speech for me?"

"Sure," he said, though he was partially distracted trying to weave his claws through the linen undershirt.

He went through his recitation the first time, finishing up with only a few long glances at his tablet. "That is _much _better," she said as she snapped the buttons closed on his waistcoat. "I might have to let this out a bit," she murmured. "What will you wear under this?"

His long pause made her look up, and she caught the flush. "Uh… I suppose I can't wear this over my normal attire, huh?"

"I wouldn't recommend it, no," she laughed. "I'm going to go with 'standard undergear.'"

"Ah, sounds good," he laughed nervously. "Is this wool?" he suddenly asked. "It won't itch, will it?"

"Might be." She made a few mental notes. "Okay, do your speech again. It ran a bit long, so see if you can't speed up your delivery slightly." She glanced up again. "And despite what I said earlier, the pun you added is funny _and_ appropriate."

He smiled at her praise and started in again. Less than an hour later, Ladybug had her small set of alterations jotted down on the Bug Phone's notepad, and Chat had refined his delivery into a tight, seven minute presentation that had her both enthralled and, at times, laughing. "I think you've got it, Chat," she said approvingly.

He'd managed to get back out of the uniform without damaging it, and she was zipping it back into the carryall. "How long do you need for the alterations?" he asked.

"Day or two." She looked back to him, warily. "Wait. When _exactly_ is your speech?"

He had the good sense to look guilty. "Friday."

Ladybug sighed. "Meet me here tomorrow night, then," she said, knowing it was going to be a long night.

Chat bounced on his toes and then, in a flash, zipped in to kiss her on the cheek. "Thank you for doing this, LB. I owe you big time. Name your price."

"Don't worry, kitty," she laughed. "I'll collect when the time is right."

True to her word, Ladybug returned the following evening to find Chat waiting for her once more. He had his tablet, plus a second little box sitting atop the brick half wall. "Good evening, Milady," he purred, kissing her hand with his usual over-the-top flourish.

"Chat," she smiled, again hooking the carryall to his claw. "I've made some adjustments, let's get this on you and then you can give me the full treatment."

They spent the next half hour or so with Ladybug fussing over final adjustments to the uniform, and Chat refining his delivery. He had improved greatly, coming across as if he were having a casual yet informative conversation, playing into the uniform where it worked the best for his topic. The alterations Ladybug made were, according to Chat, "Purrfect," and required only minimal tweaks.

After carefully helping Ladybug put the uniform back into the case, and promising to follow her instructions on care to the letter (she had her doubts about that), he settled in on the brick wall next to the box he'd brought, and tapped his paw in the space beside him. "Have a seat, Milady," he said, smiling.

Ladybug had pointedly ignored the box, especially since it had the Dupain-Cheng Bakery logo on it. She now had an answer to the mystery order her father had filled that morning. "What did you do?" she asked, feigning ignorance but knowing it was-

He slit the box with a claw, revealing a small triple-layer chocolate torte. Chat had cleverly pre-sliced it and placed the two pieces on plates, one of which he handed to his partner. "I'm aware of your fondness for sweets," he reminded her. "I know I still owe you, so consider this a down payment."

Chat couldn't know that this particular cake was long a favorite, so her enthusiasm was genuine as she dug in and quickly demolished her portion; Chat raised a masked eyebrow - and moved the remains of his slice out of her reach. "Thanks," she said, laughing.

They chatted for a few more moments, Ladybug managing to steal some icing from Chat's plate in the process, and then parted, but only after Chat confirmed he'd meet her back there on Saturday evening to return the uniform.

Friday morning, Marinette dropped off her recreation of the Asterix, the first French satellite, in her history classroom so she didn't have to carry it around all day. The project having been inspired by the project she and Alya were working on for science. She knew that the first person had set foot on the moon 50 years ago that summer, and was daydreaming about what it would be like to spacewalk, as she waited for the other students to file into the first class of the day.

Morning classes went by peacefully, and Marinette was almost late back from lunch. She walked into class with a minute to spare. She saw Chat in the front row, dressed in his borrowed French Revolution military uniform and idly wondered if his ears were uncomfortable in the hat. Waving, she passed him to get to her seat, and then realization hit. Spinning around, she completely missed her bench seat and landed, sprawled, in the aisle. The spill was enough to cover her rising panic at the fact that, sitting in front of her in class was Adrien Agreste, wearing Mr. Haperele's old costume that she's spent several hours tailoring for Chat Noir.

The boy in question turned around, and was out of his seat in a flash, extending his hand to help her up. Marinette stared a few moments too long, picturing him in black, with a mask over his features. She shook herself, and reached out to let him help her up. "Nice outfit. I don't think that's a Gabriel design." She nodded at his uniform.

He smiled at her. "No. I borrowed it from a friend, and she adjusted it to fit me." A dreamy look flittered across his face. "She's amazing."

Simply nodding, Marinette made it into her seat this time, waiting for Adrien's speech as confirmation of what she already strongly suspected. When his turn came and he started in on the lines she already had half memorized as well, any doubt slipped from her mind. This WAS Chat Noir, but how on earth would she tell him. She figured the best time was when he returned the uniform the next day, so that there wouldn't be a fuss made at school.

The next 24 hours or so were some of the longest of Marinette's life. She overanalyzed everything, both on her own and with Tikki, but they both knew that she would have to tell him that she knew who he was. For the sake of their partnership, she would also share her identity with him. In the past, it had deeply hurt him when she'd kept secrets from him, even when they weren't hers to share.

Finally, the designated hour rolled around, and Ladybug was on the roof, pacing, when Chat appeared. He handed her the garment bag saying "Thank you so much. Everyone seemed to enjoy the speech."

Ladybug nodded. "Yes, it was great. I really like the way you changed up the last line."

Chat froze. How had she known that he had changed the last line? He hadn't decided himself that he was going to do it until lunchtime yesterday, and inspiration had just kind of struck. Slowly, he turned to face his partner. "You heard it? Were you listening in, or are you in my history class?"

Ladybug laughed. "When I walked into class yesterday, I saw you sitting there in your uniform, and I thought 'Chat looks ready for his presentation'. It was when I realized Adrien was the one in uniform that I, uh, missed my chair." With a grin taken straight from Chat Noir's repertoire, she added, "You could say I was a real space case."

Chat's normally large eyes grew enormous. "Marinette?" he squeaked. When she nodded, unsure of how he was going to react to that he added, "You borrowed the costume from Mylene's dad." Another nod. "That explains her comment about 'That girl can fix anything'. She meant you, adjusting her father's costume to fit me." One more nod.

Ladybug looked at him. "This is not how I was expecting to find out who the other one was. We need to work extra hard to keep out family and friends safe."

It was Chat's turn to nod. Ladybug reached out a hand to her partner, the one who was always there to offer a helping hand, or a shoulder to lean on, in or out of the masks. Smiling at her, Chat interlaced his fingers with hers, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so glad that it's you, Milady."

"Me too, Kitty. Me too."


	10. Disguises

July 10: Disguises

_Authors' note: CM and Ep just love a good ball… so disguises was a perfect excuse! A Masquerade Ball is always fun… isn't it? Our last ball, back in Marichat May, ended all sweet and lovey dovey. In this one, if it can go wrong, it does!_

_CM: Ep! I had an idea! What if we threw a ball for Astruc and Co? They would HAVE to share the rights to Miraculous, then!_

_Lyra: Would I have to wear a ballgown? Because I'm not so great at walking in heels…._

_CM: Heels. *shudders* Nah, we'll let Ep wear them..._

_Ep: Wait, you meant BALL, then? (puts down his baseball glove)_

* * *

Marinette was stuck in another student representative meeting where they were discussing the upcoming carnival that would be held by College Francoise Dupont. The carnival was a celebration of the superheroes of Paris, all five of them, that would culminate in a masquerade ball. Each hero would have their own booth, and it was the committee's fervent hope that the superheroes would put in an appearance.

Alya had been asked to put the word out on the Ladyblog, inviting all the heroes. Chat Noir had replied immediately, saying how honored he was, and he would be there if at all possible. Marinette had gone to talk to Master Fu, discussing what a moral boost it would be for the three part time superheroes to be seen. After securing his permission, Ladybug went and asked Alya, Nino and Chloe if they were interested in attending. All three agreed, and Ladybug spoke with Chloe at length about safety precautions, wanting her to remain a part of the team, as she could see how much good it had done Chloe in her everyday life, but also concerned for her safety, although Chloe was the only person she knew who had successfully rejected an akuma after it had actually possessed an item of hers.

They agreed to meet up near the school, so that Ladybug could hand over the miraculous, somewhere unexpected, so hopefully Hawk Moth won't crash the carnival. Wanting to also make sure Chat was on the same page, she texted him to meet her at their usual rendezvous point close to sunset. She wasn't surprised when he responded immediately that "he'd be there with a bell on," and tried hard not to roll her eyes at her bug phone.

Chat was waiting for her when she landed, leaning against a wrought iron railing and twirling his tail, smirk firmly planted on his face. Knowing this meant trouble, she stepped over to him. "Milady," he said, dropping his tail in order to perform his customary bow-and-kiss maneuver. "You look stunning as always."

Ignoring his flirting, she gently removed her hand from his paw. "Thanks for meeting me," she started. "I've rounded up the rest of Team Miraculous, and they'll all be at the Carnival; are you going to be able to go? Your message sounded equivocal."

"I'm working on that now," he grinned, knowing he couldn't tell her that Adrien was supposed to be working the event; House of Gabriel had rented a booth and, of course, Father wanted the most recognizable part of the company front and center. "But I plan to go, yes. And you are OK with us being there in, uh, costume?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "It's kind of the point," she said.

"But it's also a masked ball," he reminded her. "I can't imagine I'll be the only one there as Chat."

"True," she agreed, then gave his costume a meaningful review. "But I suspect no one will have as detailed an outfit as you."

Chat grinned a bit more, knowing he'd squirreled away the faux Chat costume he was supposed to have worn at the Clara Nightingale video shoot. _This is gonna be great_, he thought. "Purrhaps you are right," he said. "Will you save me a dance?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but agreed.

With a huge grin he asked, "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to meet the rest of the team close to the school the night of the event so I can distribute their Miraculous," she said. "You can meet us at the event proper."

Chat frowned. "You're assembling all three of them. Together."

"Yes," she said, wondering where he was going.

"To give them their Miraculous." That garnered a single raised masked eyebrow.

"Yes - oh, nuts!" she said. "I'll have to fix that."

"Or, you could just let all of us in on the secret," Chat suggested helpfully, and narrowly avoided a bop between the feline ears for his efforts. "I'll be there," he said as he pulled out his baton and made to leap into the evening.

"Just buzz me with a text when you are close?" she asked.

"Oh, you'll know when I arrive," he smirked as he disappeared into the darkness.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Ladybug muttered as she lassoed her way home.

Ladybug had Nino and Alya arrive 20 minutes before she told Chloe to be there and 40 minutes before she told Chat to be there, so of course, Chloe and Chat arrived at the same time, dropping in on a conversation between Ladybug, Rena and Carapace.

Once Rena, Carapace and Queen Bee were all transformed, Ladybug spoke to them as well as Chat, reminding them that, while they were free to come and go as their superhero personas all day, they would return their miraculous to Ladybug after the ball was over… they could attend the ball as either their civilian or superhero personas. The only time they were required to attend in costume was for the presentation at 1500 where all of the student representatives would be presenting gifts to the superheroes.

Marinette had originally been selected to be the presenter for all the superheroes, but declaring that to be unfair, especially since she was always late, and she'd be helping out in her parents' bakery booth (selling hero themed treats), she suggested that someone from each of the grade levels present to a different hero. A random lottery (which Marinette had secretly removed her name from) picked each of the presenters, with everyone from all grades going into the Ladybug drawing.

Alya took time to interview all of the heroes for the Ladyblog, creating an illusion of "herself" interviewing Rena. Carapace stuck close to Rena, much as Nino did to Alya. Queen Bee hung out around her booth, where kids could create their own crowns, secretly enjoying every second, even as she pretended to hate it.

Chat Noir hung out for an hour or so, being given free food samples at all of the booths, and just generally enjoying himself. After that, he disappeared, and Adrien showed up at his father's booth, his genuine smile melting back into the model perfect one.

Marinette spent time at her parents' bakery booth as well as with her friends. She helped out a couple of other class reps sorting out some last minute problems with the ball. After lunch, as time for the presentation approached, she told her parents that she was needed at the Grand Paris Hotel, the location of the ball, and slipped off to transform. She visited the ladybug booth on her way to the stage area, meeting Chat Noir, who was sitting cross legged on the floor of her booth, helping kids decorate yo-yos.

He grinned up at her, obviously having the time of his life. As much as she hated to separate him from his devoted followers, she whispered that it was time to go, and helped him extricate himself from the pile of preschoolers that surrounded him.

Chat sighed audibly, and detached himself from one toddler who had latched herself to his tail and had been playing with his bell. They were joined at the base of the stairs to the stage by the other three Team Miraculous members, preparing to go onstage at their cue. Ladybug couldn't help but notice Chat seemed to be a bit anxious, but she didn't have time to press him as they were herded onto the stage.

Gathered in something of a semi-circle facing the crowd, each of the heroes waited patiently as the invited dignitaries first spoke. Ladybug heard Chat snort on more than one occasion during Mayor Bourgeois' remarks, especially as they began to drag on beyond the five generous minutes that had originally been allocated for him. At length, however, a procession of four students representing the various grades at their school trooped on stage, each holding an item to present to a hero.

Ladybug frowned slightly; she'd known the presenters would be picked by lottery, but one was missing - the one to present to Ladybug. While she had ensured that there was no way for Marinette to have been selected, she'd also carefully contrived that Adrien be picked (Tom had been especially helpful during the lottery drawing), but his absence worried her. She turned to Chat and whispered: "Where's Adrien? Have you seen him?"

Chat, for his part, was looking a little concerned. He'd been very surprised to have been selected to present to Ladybug - not that he would have minded. Any opportunity to be close to her was welcome, but knowing he was supposed to be on stage with her, as Chat, made it impossible to be in both places. So he (as Adrien) had talked Nino into taking his spot. "No," he replied to Ladybug distractedly as he tried to scan the crowd to look for his best friend.

Rena leaned into Carapace. "What's wrong? You look like you have ants in your shell," she whispered.

Carapace leaned closer. "Adrien asked me to present to Ladybug," he said, oblivious to Chat's feline ears suddenly pivoting toward him. "He said his old man was making him work the booth. I told him I'd do it - how could I not? But I also knew I had to be here, so I asked Nathaniel to do it instead."

Rena barely stopped herself from smacking her forehead. "Nathaniel won't be here."

"What?" Carapace choked. "What do you mean?"

"He was invited to show his work at AniCon this weekend," she whispered. "So he asked _me_ to present."

Chat tried to focus as the youngest of the four representatives presented him with a small paper-mache version of him leaping down from a rooftop. It was pretty good, actually - they even had a tiny version of his tail flapping out behind the miniature Chat, albeit propped up with a series of toothpicks. But he couldn't help but overhear Rena.

"-and I had to be here, too. I tried to ask Marinette, but she begged off, saying she would make a mess of it."

"Who did you ask?" Carapace asked urgently. "Cause whoever it is, they're _not_ here."

"I asked Max," Rena hissed.

Chat tried not to facepaw. "He won't be here, either," he whispered to Rena as the second representative handed her a tiny version of her flute.

Rena snapped her head toward Chat, then her eyes rose to his feline ears. She felt a bit of a flush start. "How do you know _that_?" she demanded.

"He's at a Hackathon this weekend." Chat smiled a model smile as the third representative stepped up and presented Queen Bee with a set of honeycomb-shaped earrings. As she fawned extravagantly over the gift, Chat realized he needed to fix the mess he had inadvertently created. Needing a reason to get off stage for a moment, his eyes hit on the pitcher of water and set of glasses sitting next to the podium Mayor Bourgeois was _still_ standing behind. He just needed to step a little to the left, and maybe his tail could reach-

There was a resounding crash as the pitcher hit the stage and smashed into pieces; the Mayor stepped back, shocked, and everyone else assembled on stage turned to see the cause of the commotion. Conveniently, Chat was crouched down, cradling the major pieces of glass in his paws. "You keep going," he smiled as Ladybug knelt to help. "Let me handle this," he whispered in her ear. "I saw towels and a mop backstage."

"Chat, wait-" she tried to stop him, but his black-cladded form had already backflipped through the curtain behind them, the slight flutter of the fabric the only indication of his exit. Her eyes snapped forward, worried that his exit would throw the ceremony off kilter, but he'd managed to cover his departure behind Queen Bee's continued exuberance over her gift - nearly uninterrupted, despite the pool of water on stage. For once, Ladybug let her go, finding herself more concerned with what had happened to Adrien.

The final of the four kids stepped up to Carapace and bashfully handed him a circular shield made from cardboard. Clearly hand colored by multiple hands, Carapace's face broke out into a wide smile as he thanked the child for his gift. Ladybug didn't pick up what he said to the presenter, though, for Adrien had stepped into her line of sight.

What she saw made her jaw drop.

Face slightly aflame, Adrien was dressed in the Chat Noir costume his father had made for the Clara Nightingale video, although he was maskless and one of the feline ears was at an odd angle, almost as if he'd been in a hurry to weave it into his hair. Smiling a bit shyly, he started up the stairs only to trip over the tail that was trailing him.

In a flash, Ladybug was beside him, catching both Adrien and the small polka-dotted box he'd been carrying. "Gotcha!" she said, and was surprised when he looked up at her with a sly smile. It made her wonder for a fraction of a second if he'd taken a pratfall.

"Thanks," he replied, "I'm not used to having extra body parts."

Standing, he offered her the box. "This is for you," he said.

"The costume?" she teased. "Or the box?"

With a surprising amount of Chat-like swagger, Adrien leaned in and whispered: "Both."

Flushing deeply, and well aware that the other heroes on stage were riveted to the scene before them, she took the box and hurriedly popped it open. Nestled inside brilliant pink crepe paper was a beautifully handcrafted ladybug lapel pin. She smiled, realizing now what her fellow students had been working on in the art studio; slipping it out from the box, she marvelled at the smooth finish of the small wooden bug, the carefully painted red-and-black shell, and the clever placement of two sequins to represent the bug eyes. "Thank you," she breathed.

Adrien smiled outwardly, and breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. His original plan had been to surprise Ladybug with the faux Chat costume at the ball; he'd managed to put it on after finishing his duties at the House of Gabriel booth, then transformed in order to reappear in the nick of time as Chat Noir in Ladybug's own booth just prior to the ceremony. As rushed as he'd been, he still needed to complete the ensemble: the mask was in his costume pocket, and he knew the ears weren't on straight. It hadn't been his intention to be seen this early.

The other heroes crowded around Ladybug, oohing and aahing, and the presenters as well as the Mayor joined in. He used the distraction to stealthily slip back into the crowd and scamper backstage; a moment later, Chat Noir slipped through the curtains holding paper towels in one paw, and a mop in the other. Quietly, he inserted himself into the circle of heroes. As far as he could tell, his sleight of hand had been successful.

"That's quite a gift," he whispered to Ladybug from over her shoulder.

"Yes," she agreed, overwhelmed with appreciation.

Presentations over, the crowd shifted away from the stage and the heroes stepped down, making space for the DJ stand that was wheeled on. As the ball portion of the event got underway, Ladybug quickly gathered the team together one more time to remind them of her earlier ground rules; she caught something in Chat's expression that sent shivers of alarm through her, but he disappeared into the crowd, tail flapping behind him, before she could pull him aside.

Normally, she'd have acted on her worries that Chat was about to push the situation as far as he could without exactly breaking it; but tonight, she, too, had decided to have a little fun. After first ensuring she had spent enough quality time with her fans, Ladybug snuck into a side hallway and located a convenient janitorial supply closet. Once inside, she locked the door and dropped her transformation, revealing the Chat Noir costume she had created some months prior.

Extremely form fitting, she had carefully (and faithfully) replicated every aspect of Chat's appearance, from the boots, to the belt tail, to the kitty ears she had pinned to a blonde wig she was wearing. Her latest addition had been a baton-like holder that cradled her cell phone - it looked as if she had popped it open to make a call, as he often did.

She reversed the phone camera and ensured the brilliant green eyeshadow beneath her mask hadn't run, then smiled at the overall effect: Marinette looked _good _as Chat Noir. Chat had been right - there were going to be plenty of doppelgangers for him out there on the dance floor that evening, and she was going to be one of them.

Marinette pushed the door open and moved into the hallway - and immediately collided with Chat Noir. The two of them tumbled to the carpet, apologizing to each other. She felt his paw on her arm as he helped her up, and she turned to face him, only to discover it was actually Adrien.

The force of their impact had knocked his mask off, revealing the eye black he'd put on to mimic Chat's appearance under the mask; as he blinked, she could see he'd even applied it to his eyelids. Marinette hadn't thought about that particular detail herself; to be honest, it was only the kind of thing you'd see if you got up close to Chat, anyway. Without the mask, it actually gave him a vague raccoon-like look. She absently noted that his ears were finally on straight atop his now finger tousled hair, neatly evoking Chat's wild mane.

"Marinette?" he asked, drawing out the syllables in her name as he took in her costume. She thought his eyes were bugging out slightly. "You look… amazing…"

"Thanks," she said, handing him his mask. "This is yours, I think," she laughed.

"Yeah." He turned it in his hands and tested the adhesive she could now see had been dabbed inside the mask before pressing it to his face. "Is it on straight?" he asked.

"Yes…" she partially answered. Only then did she notice that he was wearing Hollywood-style contact lenses, the kind that extended into the sclera. They were definitely feline looking, with oval slits for his pupils; the only giveaway they were fake was their lack of adjustment in the changing light. But the green sclera made him look eerily similar to Chat.

"Marinette?" he prompted again.

"Contacts?" she asked, more to confirm than anything else.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Father had multiple sets ordered for the video. I never put them in, thank God! They itch like crazy."

Marinette wasn't sure she'd heard his response, for with the mask now on, Adrien was nearly the spitting image of her partner. The eyes were wrong, of course, and he seemed a bit shorter than Chat, but the overall effect was there.

She shook her head to clear it, realizing that Adrien had been speaking to her, and, apologizing, asked him to repeat himself. Smiling a smile that to Marinette screamed Chat Noir, she just caught the end of his sentence, something about Alya and Nino. Not wanting to ask him to repeat himself for a third time, she just nodded.

When she just stood there, looking at him, Adrien started to worry if he had blown his identity, but Marinette seemed to snap out of whatever she'd been thinking, and started to head towards the main area. For those who didn't want to dance, there were other activities, including a "Heroes Trivia" where each of the heroes had been asked non-invasive personal questions such as favorite food, sport, color, etc. Marinette had planned to avoid that area, since she knew way too much about each of her miraculous wielding teammates to make it a fair competition, but she was fairly certain that Alya was intending to participate in at least one round.

They were heading towards the trivia room, when a pair of Ladybugs rounded the corner. Alya looked amazing in the costume Marinette had been given during the Clara Nightingale music video debacle, and Nino looked somewhat more uncomfortable, sporting his own spandex red and black outfit. Alya was wearing tinted blue contacts and a dark wig, swept back into two neat pigtails, while Nino wore his regular glasses over his domino mask, but had also added a wig.

After much mutual appreciation of costumes, the four decided to dance to the upbeat music they heard drifting in from outside. Heading out to dance, they ran into Queen Bee. Chloe was transformed, rather than wearing a costume, and immediately grabbed Adrien, trying to pull him out on the dance floor. Allowing himself to be pulled, he managed to grab Marinette's hand before she was out of reach. Marinette in turn, latched on to Alya, and Alya snagged Nino, so the five of them ended up dancing together, much to Chloe's annoyance.

Marinette, knowing that three of the people in her group knew Chat Noir, and how he acted around Ladybug sidled up next to Alya and threw out an outrageous pickup line. Surprised, but eyes dancing with laughter, Alya tried to channel Ladybug and brushed "Chat" off with a sigh and an eye roll. Undaunted, Marinette placed a kiss upon the back of her hand and started extolling her beauty. Nino was rolling with laughter and even Queen Bee had a smile on her face. Alya was desperately holding back her own giggles as she booped Marinette's nose, pushing her face away.

Marinette grinned up at Alya."I know my timing isn't purrfect, since we're actually somewhere that we can talk, instead of the middle of an akuma fight, but I would be feline fantastic if you would dance with me." Snorting, Alya accepted, and the two girls danced, giggling to themselves as they did so.

While everyone was laughing at Marinette's Chat Noir style antics, there was a feeling of cold dread in the pit of Adrien's stomach. Was that how people saw him? Was that really how his princess saw him? Did he come across that, to steal a phrase from Chloe, utterly ridiculous? Eyes burning, he knew he needed to get out of there. More people were stopping to watch Marinette ham it up as "Chat", and Adrien just wanted to get away. He found a deserted stairwell and sat, slumped against the wall, his head resting on his knees, tears pricking at his eyes.

Marinette noted Adrien's departure, but didn't know the reason for it. Once the song was over, she asked Nino where Adrien had gone, expecting him to be hitting up the food or the restroom, but Nino admitted he didn't know, only that he'd looked upset when he left. Saying that she was going to look for him she headed in through the door that she'd seen Adrien disappear into.

He had just transformed into Chat Noir before heading up to the roof to make a complete getaway, when Marinette headed around the corner, calling for Adrien. He answered to it before thinking, and in the knick of time was able to keep his face averted so she couldn't see his eyes.

She stepped up to him, placing a hand on his arm. In a concerned voice, Marinette asked him if he was alright, using his civilian name. Chat nodded, hoping that she would leave it at that and go back to the dance. Being Marinette, however, she couldn't do that. "Then why are you in this stairwell, Adrien? Will you come back and dance with us?" This time, she got a head shake.

Putting her hand on his cheek, she slowly turned his head towards her so that she could see his face. He squeezed his eyes tight shut, but when she sighed, his ear twitched. It was his bad luck that she noticed it, her eyes flying up to his ears, then behind him to his tail, which was flicking slightly at the end, before her eyes searched his face. "Adrien?" He nodded, miserably. "Please look at me."

He tried to turn his head away, but this time she held his chin in a surprisingly strong grip. "Open your eyes." Dressed as Chat Noir she might be, but her words held all the command of Ladybug. He hesitated for another moment, before slowly opening his eyes to look at her. The fully green eyes of her partner stared back, and Marinette let out a gasp. "Chat? Adrien? You are Chat Noir?"

Another miserable nod, before he whispered, "Yes. Please don't tell anyone. Ladybug will be so mad at me. I almost ruined her gift presentation today, and I know she's going to be here tonight. She promised me a dance."

Marinette stared at her partner. Contrary to what he'd indicated, something was _very_ wrong. "Chat, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"_Promise me!_" he said forcefully. "You can't breathe a word of this to anyone."

Slightly stunned, Marinette leaned away from him and dropped her hand. "I promise," she said quietly.

Chat didn't bother to respond and instead leapt upward toward his escape. Marinette missed nabbing his tail by a fraction, and started to pound up the steps behind them, two at a time. But fully transformed, he made it to the roof long before she did. Pausing at the door to catch her breath, she could see him bounding across the tile, pulling out his baton in order to vault into the sky.

"Chat Noir!" she yelled, infusing as much Ladybug as she could into her voice, "_Stop_!"

She was rewarded with seeing him pause where he'd landed along the brick facade rimming the edge of the roof, baton in hand. Chat didn't turn, but she could see his ears twitching in her direction.

Frankly, he didn't want to face his friend at that moment; between the stomach punch he had felt he'd taken and the flame on his cheeks, his feelings were very much on display and contrary to his normal Chat persona.

Marinette had crossed half the distance to him when he said softly, "If you see Ladybug, tell her I'm sorry. I'll take a raincheck on that dance." He paused, then added somewhat morosely, "Someday."

He raised his baton and made to leap into the night, and Marinette started to run. Just as he lifted off, she shot across the final distance and landed on his back; she heard his growl of surprise as her arms encircled his torso, but Chat easily adjusted for the extra weight and continued onward.

"I'm not in the mood for company, Marinette," he said as he helicoptered across an alleyway and landed at a trot on the building across from the ball. Gently, he detached her arms from his torso and turned toward her. "I'm sorry. Maybe another time."

She noted he'd dropped the "Princess" moniker he normally used with her, and that, in fact, he wasn't acting very Chat-like at all. "Maybe not," she said, "but I'm here. And I'm your friend. What's wrong? You were having the time of your life not an hour ago."

Chat started to pace, his tail continuing to twist. His wide green eyes landed on her a few times as he walked back and forth, and Marinette simply waited, knowing silence was often the best method for getting someone else to talk. Chat looked so miserable, though, that Marinette nearly couldn't wait him out.

Finally, he stopped pacing directly in front of her. His masked eyes flicked up to her faux feline ears, and he gently ran a claw along one; she thought a shadow of his wry smile might have appeared, but it was gone before she could say anything. "Not bad," he said after the silence had stretched into minutes. "You made this yourself, I imagine."

"Yes," she said. "For Halloween."

"That explains why you wanted all of those measurements," he replied, and this time, that smile was actually there.

"Yes," she smiled back.

"Is that how you see me?" he asked, suddenly pivoting to the topic at hand. "The way you were…" he trailed off, and his face dropped down to stare at his boots. "I don't know how to say it. Mocking me? Maybe?" He looked back up at her, pain evident in his eyes. "Do I really come across as some sort of off-kilter catsanova?"

He waited a beat. "It's not an act, you know," he said almost too quietly for her to hear. "Not all of it, at least."

"Chat-"

"I realize as Chat Noir I say and do things Adrien would never dream of doing," he continued, stepping away from her again. "And to be honest, I'm kind of proud of the puns." He flicked a look back at her. "It's a particular talent to come up with them as we're fighting akumas," he added with that shadow of a smile.

"We weren't making fun of you," Marinette said defensively. "At least, not intentionally."

Chat was looking at her, hard. As he'd been reliving the experience of the dance floor over the past few moments, his feline brain had suddenly pointed out that Marinette knew a little _too_ much about his interactions with Ladybug. That insight was followed quickly by another that destroyed what little was left of his heart.

"It's hard for me to see that, Milady," he replied. "Especially when it comes to how you apparently feel about how I express my affection for you - and my desire for it to be reciprocated."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Her eyes widened as he did his normal bow-and-kiss for Ladybug, but in the extremely exaggerated manner Marinette had performed on the dance floor. "Please allow me to fawn all over your beauty that has no compare in this realm," he said icily, punctuated with a smacking kiss on the back of her hand. "_That_."

Marinette found her own cheeks slightly flaming beneath her mask. It hadn't been her intent to hurt her kitty, but then again, she'd not realized he was actually in the room, either. Guiltily she knew it shouldn't have mattered, and she might have crossed a line. But then her brain skipped backward. Had Chat called her _Milady_?

Suddenly she realized some of the pick-up lines she had tossed out to Alya on the dance floor had been actual ones Chat had used.

On Ladybug.

Marinette's cheeks turned crimson with the realization only two people had ever heard them. Her eyes found his, and she immediately knew it had not been a slip of the tongue on Chat's part. And she also knew how deeply she had wounded him; from his perspective, both his crush and his friend had just, quite publicly, trashed him. Knowing how small Adrien's circle was made her feel infinitely worse.

"Oh," she said simply, and found herself sagging into a seated position on a convenient chimney. "Wow."

"We all wear disguises in our lives," Chat said. "Some are more obvious than others. This," he said, waving his paws around his costume, "is more of who I am - who I want to be - than the person you see as Adrien."

He turned away from her. "I just didn't realize how you truly felt. Now I do."

"I didn't know," Marinette started. "How could I? It all feels like an act."

"An _act_," he repeated. "If so, it's one I managed to keep up non-stop since we first met."

"That's not what I meant," Marinette replied, getting a little hot. "Look at it from my perspective-"

"Seriously?" Chat cut her off. "_Your_ perspective? I think I am now _well aware_ of that."

Marinette found herself unable to respond. He had a point, as far as it went. For her part, she was still struggling with the base fact that Chat Noir, the partner that always had her back, was also Adrien, the friend who would do anything for her. He wasn't wrong - Chat certainly might be a freer, more roguish persona, but at his core were all of the aspects of Adrien she had fallen in love with. Viewed through those lenses, she could see how the dance floor escapade would cut him to the quick.

"I'm happy to run you back to the ball, Milady," he said, still looking away from her.

"Okay," she said simply, still unsure what to say.

Chat quickly moved to her and ever the gentleman, gently encircled her with one arm. It took less than a heartbeat for him to launch back across the roof and adjacent alley, landing carefully next to the stairwell they had used. "Enjoy yourself," he said, smiling sadly; she was nearly certain he was fighting back tears. "I'm going to leave now; I need to some time to recalibrate."

He paused for a long moment, then drove the dagger home. "But rest assured, I will be _completely_ professional from now on."

"Chat!" Marinette started, but he'd turned tail and launched back into the air and was gone. She stared into the space he'd disappeared into for a long moment before pulling open the door to the stairwell and trudging back down to the ball.

Marinette hadn't been gone all that long, but the ball had begun to lose steam. Entering the ballroom she could tell that aside from the three other members of Team Miraculous, most of her schoolmates had already departed with more making one last swing past the booths on their way out. She paused at the doorway, then backed out to return to the janitorial closet she'd used previously to transform back to Ladybug, knowing she would soon be collecting the Miraculous jewels.

Chloe met her first, reminding her how ridiculous it was that she'd had to return the Bee Miraculous at all. Ladybug was too emotionally drained to argue the point and simply snatched it from a very surprised Chloe. Alya and Nino were a few minutes behind her, walking hand-in-hand as always, creating an unexpected ache in Ladybug's heart. Alya seemed to pick up on Ladybug's mood, and sent Nino on.

"You-"

"I've got to go," Ladybug said abruptly as she unslung her yo-yo from her hip and zipped away from her astonished looking friend.

Still being fairly early, superhero-wise, Ladybug dragged out her return trip to Master Fu's, then dragged her return to the Bakery even further. Part of her knew she needed to track down Chat and try and straighten out everything; the other part emphatically insisted he'd overreacted and would be just fine after he'd cooled off. Her heart was refusing to aid in her decision, so she opted for the easier of the two paths and slipped back into her bedroom at the Bakery.

Chat had found the highest point in Paris he could easily climb, and was perched atop the radio antenna on the Eiffel Tower. Normally he would have worried about being so visible, but that evening he really didn't care. He had no desire to return to his rooms at the mansion, and dropping in on Marinette seemed equally as unpalatable. Chat had his back to the setting sun, and amused himself for a bit watching his cat-shaped silhouette creep across the Parisian landscape. The lengthening shadows mirrored his mood, but ever aware of the possibility of akumatization, he held the worst of his feelings in check, settling into a quasi-desensitized state of packing his heart and everything around it into cold storage.

The weekend passed, but Hawkmoth seemed unaware that the duo were vulnerable and gave them the weekend off. It wasn't until the following Monday that Adrien was forced to face Marienette once more at school, and it went about as well as he'd expected.

He gave her the cold shoulder, and she seemed willing to respect it. Both Nino and Alya noticed the sudden shift in attitude between their respective best friends, but attempts to prod either into an explanation were met with stony silence.

Providence in the form of Hawkmoth deigned to intervene as school ended for the day, with an akuma appearing in the school library. Marinette found a convenient corner to transform and was relieved to find Chat dropping in next to her as she raced up the steps to the library. She'd never actually doubted that Chat would neglect his role no matter how he felt about her, but she'd worked with him in the past when he'd been in a bit of a mood and knew it often clouded his judgement.

True to his word, though, he was completely professional and followed her lead without question. Taking care of the akuma turned into a perfunctory exercise, and as they stood after clearing the scene, she realized he'd not uttered a single word beyond what had been necessary. Tentatively, she raised her fist for their traditional bump. He stared at her for a long, long moment before returning the gesture and saying with her, in unison, "Pound it."

Then he turned and leapt toward the door. Unsure of what, exactly, she was doing, Ladybug followed him as he vaulted through the courtyard's open roof to land in his crouch on the tile. She dropped next to him and found herself staring at his masked eyes, eyes that were blazing with a mixture of anger and hurt.

"There was a time," he said neutrally, "when I would have given _anything_ to have you follow me."

"I realize that now," she said. "Look, Chat, I want to talk about what happened."

"Not here," he said. "And not today." He turned to leap away from her and this time, she was able to snag his tail before he got away.

Chat swore as he came up short, language she'd never heard from him before. "I really hate it when you do that," he said, turning on her, eyes flashing.

"Sorry," she said, dropping his tail from her fingers. "Meet me at the Bakery tonight, Chat."

He bristled slightly as it had come out as a Ladybug command, and thought about saying something. Instead, he nodded tightly, and then leapt away from her. Ladybug again found herself watching his black-clad form whisk away from her. She sent up a silent prayer that Chat would keep his promise and appear on her balcony that evening.

As they'd not set a specific time, Marinette prepped as if Chat were going to appear at any moment, half working on her homework and half keeping an ear out for the telltale rubbery thump of his arrival. As the evening dragged on, she started to worry he'd not show; it grew into a deeper concern when her parents turned in for the evening with the gentle reminder that she, too, needed to get to bed as it was a school night.

Once she was certain they'd retired to their room, she transformed to Ladybug and popped open the Cat Tracker. Her eyes widened when Chat's green paw appeared on her location, and she immediately pushed her way through the skylight and onto the balcony. Scanning the space, though, she didn't immediately see him.

She turned and looked upward, though, when she heard his very quiet, "Hello."

"How long have you been here?" she asked, slightly cross before realizing that was the wrong way to start this conversation.

His masked feline eyes looked down from his perch atop the chimney. "A while," he said, pausing. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually be here, to be honest. This felt like a half-way point."

Ladybug nodded at his logic, knowing it was at least a partial victory that he was even there. "Do you want to come down?" she asked, moving to the railing that he often alighted on.

"No," he said.

"All right," she replied, "I'll join you, then." Deftly, she leapt to the chimney and looped her yo-yo around it, lumberjack style, and shimmied her way up to Chat, coming to a stop just below him. She could see him fighting the temptation to say something. "I have food down there, you know," she pointed out.

"I can smell it, LB." He raised a masked eyebrow at her as if to say, _obviously_.

"Of course you can." Ladybug shifted slightly. "So, here's the thing," she started, carefully watching his eyes. "I can't obviously undo what happened at the ball."

Chat's face remained impassive, but he also didn't appear ready to leave, so she continued onward.

"You could see, maybe, how I might not view your antics at Chat as being anything other than meaningless flirting, right?"

"How would I?" Chat replied. "It's not like we ever _talked_ about it," he added with a trace of snark.

"But I told you, repeatedly, there was another boy."

That brought a snorted chuckle. "Indeed you did. My apologies at not understanding the message." He shifted slightly. "And forgive me for doing what any would have done in my position: redoubled my efforts to convince you to take a second look."

"Ah," she said, seeing now how the two of them had created a virtuous loop: the more she pushed him away, the more he'd pursued her. Ladybug looked at him again, and saw once more his pain; it almost hurt her more that he might truly think she felt anything other than affection for her partner.

She released her yo-yo and dropped to the tile of her patio. "I am sorry," she said, slowly walking to the railing, leaning over it to watch the river. "I had no idea you would feel this badly, and it pains me that I've hurt you." She paused. "That was never my intent. It never _could_ be."

There was a flutter of air next to her as he dropped beside her. Tentatively, he joined her at the railing. "Do you really see me that way? The way you acted on the dance floor?" he asked, very quietly. "I get it if you do."

Ladybug turned halfway toward him. "No," she said. "I don't. Do you I think you can be a little over the top? Definitely," she added with a half-smile. "But now that I know the depth of your feelings for me, I understand why you're mad."

He sighed, and his ears flopped forward a bit. "I'm not mad any longer," he said. "I'm disappointed, I guess. And I'm sorry I wasted your time." Chat turned and leaned his costumed back against the railing, folding his arms in the process. "I don't regret my attempts to woo you," he continued, "and I would do it all over again, even knowing you are-" he paused, looking sidelong at her, "-well, were my best friend, too."

Ladybug's eyes widened. "Whoa, kitty," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "I value our relationship too much to have it dashed against the rocks. I'm still your friend - still _want_ to be your friend. I hope you still want that, too."

He didn't say anything, but as she waited, she felt him raise a paw up to the hand she had on his bicep and carefully wrap it. "I do," he said quietly. "But there are some potholes in the road to be repaired."

"I don't disagree with that assessment," Ladybug replied. She thought for a long moment, then added, "I'm willing to make the effort."

Chat turned and looked at her, his masked green eyes searching hers. "I'm not interested in _just_ a friendship," he said carefully. "Not any longer." He pulled his paw from her hand and stepped away from the railing. "I want a true partnership, one built around love." He looked back at her. "And understanding."

Without thinking, Ladybug found herself saying: "I do too."

That brought him up short. "You do?"

"I do." She could see he was skeptical, and why wouldn't he be? She hadn't exactly endeared herself to him with her past few days of action. But that gave her an idea.

She stepped toward the skylight. "Hang on," she said, with a slight glint in her eye.

He watched as she disappeared and then returned a moment later, holding a small canister of colored sugar, the kind normally shaken out over a cupcake. Ladybug quickly decanted a handful of the red and white crystals into her gloved hand, and then threw them to the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she cried as the sugar tumbled back out the sky and all over the two of them.

Chat frowned as he shook the sugar out of his mane. "What was that?"

"My own version of a Mulligan," she smiled. "I've just wiped away everything from the past two days. Don't you feel better?"

Despite himself, he smiled. "A clean slate, then?" he asked. "We start over?"

"Not exactly," she replied. "We are starting _forward_ of where we _were_. That gives you something of a head start on my heart."

She leaned up and kissed him, firmly. "Now, kitty, do you want to join me on that road?"

Chat had a cautiously hopeful expression on his face. "I won't stop punning. And I definitely won't stop being who I am when I'm with you. Can you live with that?"

"Yes," she said, without hesitation. "Yes, I can."

And she knew it was the truth.


	11. Vigilante

**July 11: Vigilante**

_Author's Note: Lyra here. Seeing today's prompt was "vigilante," I got a little carried away, giggling loudly as I imagined dear Chat and his secret stash of supplies. Epcot97 gave me a hand and the two of us spent way too long in a comic related wiki rabbit hole._

_As a reminder, none of us actually claim any ownership of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir in any language. Although, given the list of ideas the rest of these guys have put together, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before one of the plans actually succeeds….._

_CM: You burned that list after reading it, right… we wouldn't want any of our plans getting out!_

_Ep: I've upgraded. Now I'm going to send each of you one of those high-tech reel-to-reel tape machines. =ahem= "Your mission, should you choose to accept it…"_

Adrien stretched, yawning, as he got into bed. It had been a crazy long day, with hours of standing in awkward poses while the photographer had barked out orders. Freshly showered and in his favourite Ladybug themed pyjamas, Adrien was ready for a good night's sleep. Thankfully it was his night off from patrol.

Plagg was busy doing what he did best, eating cheese on the desk, probably leaving a mess everywhere.

The Akuma alert going off on his phone actually made Adrien groan. He was too tired for Akumas tonight.

With a call to Plagg, he felt his pyjamas melt into his familiar black costume, transforming him into Chat Noir - Superhero of Paris. His baton chirped with a message. Likely from his lady, he figured, flipping it open.

"Chat Noir. Where are you? Get your butt out here, there is Akuma and I need your help. He calls himself the Riddler or something. I swear his jokes are worse than yours. Oof. Hurry up, would ya?"

The Riddler? Hmmm. A slow grin broke through the haggard features as a plan fell into place.

Against the night sky stood a lone figure, face obscured by a black mask and body wrapped in a heavy cape that fluttered slightly in the wind. Those who didn't know where to look wouldn't see him, the shadowy darkness hiding him from sight. A lifetime of tragedy had brought him here to the role of a vigilante - above the law, and yet still aiming to change the world for the better. The eyes behind the mask searched the streets in silence as he listened to the sounds of the city below.

Finally, he found what he was looking for, a man dressed fanatically in a brilliant green suit complete with a matching bowler hat, accessorized with purple. Gaudy by any design standards. In one hand, he casually swung a staff that hooked at the top in such a way that it gave an appearance of a question mark.

The man stood opposite a figure in red, standing on the offensive and ready to swing into action. Ah, his fearless partner was already in action. Jumping from his perch at the top of the building, his cape billowing behind him through the air before he landed in front of the villain in a deep crouch. Slowly he stood up, glaring menacingly at the Riddler, who leaned casually on his staff with a bemused expression.

"Well, well, who do we have here?"

"I'm Chatman." His voice was rough and deep. Good. A startled chuckle burst out of the figure beside him. Shooting her a warning look, he turned his attention back to the Akuma who looked just as amused as his partner. With an angry sounding grunt, he stepped forward.

The Riddler clapped his hands together, a twinkle in his eyes. "Perfect! Just perfect! Chatman and the BugWonder. It seems like a good time for a riddle!"

"You're right," growled Chatman, taking another step forward towards the villain, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What is my favourite part of a joke?"

The Riddler looked at him thoughtfully before shrugging. "What?"

"The punch line." And with that, Chatman threw his fist forward, knocking the man to the ground. The Riddler lay there for a moment, dazed before throwing his head back and laughing wildly.

"Perfect!" he howled, clamouring to his feet.

Behind Chat, BugWonder coughed. Chatman could almost visualize her extreme eye roll. It almost broke him out of character, a smile trying to curl the edge of his mouth. No. Stay focused. "Hat or cane?" he asked his sidekick.

"Cane," BugWonder replied.

The Dynamic Duo tensed into their fighting stances, and Chatman felt a bit of a sneer appear. "Riddle me this-" he started, queuing up what he thought was a particularly appropriate joke.

He didn't get the chance - the line died on his lips as the Riddler levelled his cane at them. The duo leapt apart a fraction of a moment before he blasted the space they had been standing in with a stream of green-yellow energy. Growling just a bit, Chatman rolled into a crouch facing his partner. "It's not pawlite to interrupt someone," he said, trying to keep the gravelly voice going. It was surprisingly difficult.

"Exactly," Riddler cackled. "Riddle me this!" he cried. "What do you get when a Chat runs out of ideas?"

"A refund," Chatman yelled as he vaulted into the air toward Riddler. Somersaulting in mid-air, cape flying, he retrieved his Chathook from his Chatbelt and smoothly tossed it toward the cane as he flew over the Riddler. The hook looped itself around the question mark top, and as Chatman flipped again to land facing the Riddler, he tugged on the cable, hard, expecting to have the cane fly to his paw.

Letting out a peal of laughter, Riddler triggered something on the cane and sent a bolt of that green-yellow energy coursing along the cable to Chatman's paw. The electric shock froze him to the spot for a few seconds before he crumpled to the ground, twitching involuntarily. Moving quickly to stand over Chatman, Riddler continued to cackle. "No, you get-oof!"

BugWonder's red-and-black yo-yo smacked Riddler, knocking the bowler off in the process. Vaulting down beside ChatMan, she quickly checked him over before wrapping an arm around him and sailing back to the relative safety of a nearby rooftop. Riddler was rubbing his face where he'd taken the slap but didn't make a move to pursue them. But neither did he escape, which confirmed for her that he wasn't done with the Dynamic Duo quite yet.

Laying Chatman up against a brick half wall, she shook him out of his electrically-induced stupor. "Chat-er, Chatman?" she said, snapping her gloved fingers in front of his dazed eyes. "Hey? Kitty?"

"That was a bit shocking," he mumbled as he tried to push himself up. His muscles still felt rubbery, so he leaned on BugWonder for a bit of support. "Good to know that cane has a few surprises in it."

BugWonder forced back the impulse to roll her eyes once more. "We're still left with the original problem."

"Yeah," he smirked, eyes narrowing. "Hearing the end of that terrible riddle of his."

She smacked him in the bicep. "Nice cape, by the way."

"C'mon," he said, starting to feel more like himself. Leaping to the top of the brick wall, the wind flared his cape out, and the gathering storm briefly backlit him with a bolt of lightning. BugWonder balanced next to him, and then the two of them somersaulted back to the plaza below where Riddler awaited them still.

Except, this time he turned and quickly trotted off away from them, his laughter trailing in his wake. "I just love a running joke!" he tossed back at them as he crossed the plaza faster than any normal being should have been able to do.

Chatman took off on all fours, despite BugWonder's cry of warning. "Chatman! Hold up!"

He shook off the warning, already bruised by his initial failure to retrieve the cane, and redoubled his efforts. Riddler darted left, and then right, but Chatman was gaining on him. He heard BugWonder's hard footfalls well behind him but didn't worry - she'd catch up.

Riddler made one last swerve, and Chatman adjusted. Barreling down on the Akuma, his feline brain sent out a faint alarm when Riddler suddenly ground to a halt and turned back toward him with a massive smile. He didn't have time to consider anything beyond that as he ran headlong into some sort of barrier he'd not seen, even with his night vision. Swatting away at the non-existent stars, he stood and felt his cowl's ears brush against a ceiling. Reaching up, he could feel some sort of transparent barrier above him. Frowning, he took a step backwards and hit something, rotating again, he could move forward a few meters only to hit another wall.

It took a moment for it to dawn on him that he'd chased the Riddler right into a glass-walled maze. And had he been paying better attention, he might have been able to retrace his steps to the entrance he appeared to have blundered through in his blind pursuit. Chatman rotated again and finally caught the glaring BugWonder. "This is only a minor Chatasrophe," he offered and started to search his Chatbelt for something that might get him out of this mess.

Batman had once admitted that his only real superpower was being rich. Luckily for Chat, he had that same power. One of his favourite "stuck in his room with nothing to do" activities was surfing through websites and placing online orders, stocking up on unnecessary superhero supplies delivered straight to the door on a regular basis. No one had seemed to really notice or care, but today - those purchases were finally going to come in handy.

His fist curled around the object he was looking for, and with a quiet grin to himself, pulled it from the pouch. His throw was puuurfect (in his opinion), bouncing off the invisible walls and clattering to the ground with ease. He grabbed his cape and held it over his head as a small explosion went off, releasing a coloured gas into the labyrinth. Peeking over the edge of his cape, he watched excitedly as the gas travelled through the maze, making the correct path visible. He took off running.

Above him, BugWonder was running across the top of the invisible box, bypassing the maze altogether. Hopping off the other side, she made it before he did. He slid gracefully out the exit of the maze to stand beside her in front of a large box, wrapped as a gift.

"Where did THAT come from?" gasped BugWonder in exasperation. "Do we pull the ribbon like the sign says?" She motioned to the tag dangling from the bow that read "Open Me."

"Stand back," he ordered, reaching up to pull the red strip. It slid out easily, unwrapping the large box with a fluid easy movement. The two heroes jumped back, unsure what was going to happen now. One side of the box flopped open, revealing a large digital screen with a riddle splashed across it.

"What is harmless but can kill you?" he read out loud. BugWonder looked more annoyed than ever.

"You know, this Akuma seems particularly suited for your brand of humour," she muttered, twirling her yo-yo. She wasn't wrong, he lived for this kind of stuff. Shooting her a slight smirk, he turned his attention back to the screen. "Do you know the answer?"

"Time." It wasn't that hard to figure out. Time killed everyone. Eventually. The words on the screen vanished to become a countdown timer for 30 seconds.

He looked over at his partner with a slight level of concern. What was the time counting towards? Looking around, he saw no evidence of anything dangerous - no explosives, no cages, not even the Riddler.

Seconds ticking away, flashing red as the numbers approached zero, Chat grabbed his partner's arm, pulling her into a crouch while pulling his cape over both of them for protection, and braced himself for the worst. Nothing happened.

Standing back up, BugWonder's foot stepped on his cape, making it pull against his neck. Gasping for air, he clawed at the clasp, desperately trying to breathe. Seeing his expression, she jumped off in haste, leaving him gasping.

"No capes!" she muttered, imitating that costume designer from the Incredibles.

"But they are cool," he mumbled back, rubbing his neck with a paw.

The timer was flashing a bright red set of zeros, confusing him. What had it been counting down towards?

Suddenly, the box flattened completely, the screen springing up and out of sight revealing three oversized, wooden doors.

"Welcome to Let's Make a Deal!" a crackling voice came from some unseen speakers around them. In today's game, the right door will reveal - Me! The Riddler! However, the other two are traps. There can only be one player, so sorry BugWonder, it's time for the Caped Catsader to take the lead."

Ladybug yelped as a glass box dropped on her, trapping her inside. She crossed her arms, cocked out one hip, and shot Chat her more annoyed look ever.

"Pick a door, Chatman. Door #1? Door #2? Or Door #3?" the announcer prompted. Looking at the doors, Chat moved to the farthest one on the left. Door 1.

"Are you sure that's the door you choose, Chatman? Look what was behind Door #3!" The door farther down the wall clicked open, and out flopped a shark with nasty teeth.

"And me without my patented Shark Repellent Bat Spray," quipped the hero. Inside the box, Ladybug yelled "Lucky Charm" catching an aerosol can marked with a cutout silhouette of a shark. She jiggled it at him in mockery. The shark was dragged back through the door before it closed.

"So now, Cat - will you stick with your door? Or do you want to change to Door #2?"

"I choose Door #2, Monty!" Chat yelled, loudly. He switched to the other door, kicking it open aggressively, and found himself face to face with the Riddler, who was laughing loudly.

"Perfect!" cheered the man, clapping his hands together. Chatman didn't wait for the pleasantries, instantly launching himself at the villain with a heavy punch to the jaw. The man crumpled under the unexpected action and Chat yanked the curled staff from the Riddler's grip, praying it wouldn't shock him again.

Racing back through the door, he smashed the metal cane against the glass that held his partner. It shattered noisily, releasing BugWonder who muttered a stream of words he couldn't quite hear. Using Cataclysm, he destroyed the cane, releasing the Akuma into the air. Ladybug twirled her yo-yo and caught it with ease, purifying and freeing the butterfly before tossing the shark spray into the air to send her ladybug rush around the city.

The victim of Hawkmoth's power turned out to be a city planner who felt highly disappointed that no one appreciated the hidden bits of humour he had managed to tuck away in his designs for a new neighbourhood. After consoling him briefly and helping him find his way home, the two heroes were nearly out of time, miraculous jewellery beeping furiously as a reminder.

"Well, BugWonder, I'm off to the ChatCave." Chat pulled the grapple gun from his belt.

"Seriously, Chat?" she asked, throwing her hands in the air.

"Yes. Very." He shot the gun off, watching with satisfaction as the hooks found purchase against a chimney. "After all, I'm Chatman." Cape flying behind him, he clicked the trigger and flew off into the night.


	12. Tears

July 12: Tears

_Author's note: CM here. You know when it's a sad prompt, I have to be the one to write it._

_Well, once again, we're trying a new plan to gain control of _Miraculous_. We're going to tickle Thomas Astruc until tears run down his cheeks, and not let up until he signs over the rights to us…_

* * *

He couldn't stop crying. He felt hollow. Numb. After all these years, Chat Noir thought that the end of Hawkmoth's reign of terror would be a happy occasion, it would lead to a reveal, and he and Ladybug would live happily ever after.

He had no idea how wrong he could be. The only part that he'd got right was the reveal. Unfortunately, it wasn't the romantic reveal he'd pictured all these years, where Ladybug dropped her transformation, only to be standing there in a ball gown, and they'd dance off into the sunset. He'd discovered the identity of both Hawkmoth and Mayura, and in doing so, lost any remaining family he had left.

Mayura was his father's personal assistant, Nathalie Sancour, the only person who even occasionally stood up for him at home. The dread he'd felt when the peacock brooch was stripped from her had settled in his stomach like lead. He knew that if Nathalie was Mayura, then the odds were greatly in favor of his father being Hawkmoth. He would have given anything to have been wrong.

He wasn't sure how he made it through. The other four members of the team gasped at seeing Gabriel Agreste unmasked as Hawkmoth, but Chat had kept stoically silent. Queen Bee, he knew, was friends with Adrien outside of the masks, but he wasn't sure why the other three seemed so upset. He'd gone through the obligatory fist bump, but ran off shortly thereafter, leaving Queen Bee, Carapace, Rena Rouge and Ladybug to take the two criminals to face justice. He was sure that Ladybug had taken the miraculous back to Master Fu. He wasn't sure how the rest would go.

He looked up at the sky. The sun was no longer overhead as it was when he had come and collapsed on this roof. He hadn't chosen it for any reason other than it was where his strength had run out. It was perfect for his purposes. A small four foot wall ran around the edge of the roof, hiding him from prying eyes, and allowing him to curl up, protected.

His tears had slowed to an on again off again trickle when he heard the familiar zip of the yo-yo, and the soft footfalls of his partner landing beside him. He didn't look up. Didn't acknowledge her in any way, couldn't really. His limbs were too heavy to move, even if he had wanted to move them. The idea of his partner, the woman he loved finding out who he was, finding out that he was related to that monster chilled him to the bone. He'd never felt more alone.

Chat sat, legs drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around his shins, his face buried in his knees. "You're not alone, Kitty." Ladybug said to him, placing a comforting hand on his back, rubbing little circles on it. "We are here for you. All of us. We all care for you very much, I think more than any of us realized."

Voice hoarse as more tears dripped down his face Chat spoke his first words aloud in what felt like days. "You wouldn't if you knew. If you knew why."

Ladybug leaned over her partner, and scratched his head between his feline ears."Look at me Kitty." She stopped scratching, and flattened his hair down a little. Her blue gaze met and held his green one. She didn't say anything for a moment, just stared into his eyes, before reaching forward a gloved hand to cup his cheek. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, quickly, biting it off as she searched for the right words. Finally, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. "Are you - are you upset because of who Hawkmoth turned out to be?"

Dropping his gaze from hers, then his head to his knees, Chat Noir finally nodded. Ladybug never broke contact with him, her hand dropped from his cheek when he hid his face, but slid to stroke his upper arm instead. Chat heard Ladybug's deep inhalation of breath, and a calming exhalation, before she said, on a whisper, "Adrien?"

He didn't answer out loud, but the way Chat's body stiffened gave Ladybug all the answer that she needed. She continued stroking his arm before wrapping him in a hug. "Mon Chaton, it will be alright. You will never be alone. I will always be here for you. My parents will take you in. They already love you. Nobody should have to do what you did, to fight their only family. We will be your family. Rena and Carapace will always be there, and you know Queen Bee loves you. You have to tell her. I can't wait to see the look on her face."

A pink flash told Chat that she had dropped her transformation, but he stubbornly refused to look up. He didn't want to see the disappointment on the face of the girl he had loved for so long, only for her to know his identity because his father was the one they had been trying to defeat this whole time.

"Oh, Chat. Please look at me. Please know that whatever it is that you're feeling right now, you don't have to be alone. I will always be here for you. Chat or Adrien. You are my partner and my friend." She reached over to wipe the tears she could see running down his cheeks. "Please look at me, Chat. I trust you. I've always trusted Chat, and I've always trusted Adrien, too. Except for maybe the first two days." She chuckled, and the sound of it had Chat's feline ears twitching. "My trust in you will never change, no matter who Hawkmoth is to you."

Her hands returned to his hair. "Look at me, Chaton. I know you. You know me. Both in and out of the suits. I will _always_ be here for you. You just need to open your eyes."

Slowly, Chat lifted his head, raising his eyes to her unmasked face. "Marinette?"

She pulled him back into a hug. "Yes, Chaton. It's me. I will always be here for you. I think we need to introduce ourselves to the rest of the team. I think you will find that you have more support than you realized. And my offer still stands. Stay with me tonight. My family loves you."

His arms snaked their way around her. _Marinette._ How did he never realize it. There was nobody who was more Ladybug than Marinette. He pulled her tight to him, so she was practically sitting in his lap. He lost track of how long he sat there, drawing comfort from his partner, his friend. He was eventually startled by a high pitched cough, followed by a sweet, yet apologetic voice. "I'm sorry. We should probably get going. Chat, Marinette speaks the truth, her family will always welcome you."

Straightening up, Marinette smiled at her kwami. "Chat, this is Tikki. She's right. We've been out here too long. I'm sure Plagg is hungry by now."

Both Chat and Tikki laughed at that comment, knowing the little black cat god was always hungry, but they both nodded, and Marinette switched back to Ladybug.

They changed back into their civilian forms together, just a few blocks away from the bakery, and Marinette grabbed Adrien's hand and practically pulled him home with her. Her parents were upstairs in the living quarters watching the news. When they saw Marinette walk in with Adrien, they both jumped up, Tom engulfing the boy in a huge hug, while Sabine cupped his cheek, much in the way that her daughter had done earlier.

Sabine spoke first, "Adrien, you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need. Whether that is one night or the rest of your life. You always have a home with us."

Adrien's eyes were glistening with happy tears. "Thank you Monsieur Dupain, Madam Cheng. I appreciate it. Your daughter told me the same thing when she found out what was going on." His voice was choked, but there was no mistaking the gratitude that someone cared, that they accepted him, no matter what.

When the tears started to roll down his cheek, Sabine squeezed his hand. "Please, it's Sabine and Tom. And it would be our pleasure to have you. Dinner is almost ready. Did you want to sleep in the spare room or Marinette's room. We understand if you don't want to be alone tonight."

Tom added, "But that is NOT a long term choice. The spare room is yours for as long as you need it."

Adrien nodded, feeling overwhelmed with the rollercoaster of emotions he'd been on over the past several hours. Marinette took him up to her room, knowing the last thing she was going to do was leave her kitty alone to think. He would need to do that later, but not now, when everything was so raw.

After dinner where Adrien pushed more around his plate than actually ate, Marinette took them back to her room. She asked if he was ready to talk, and when he shook his head she asked if he just wanted to be held. When he nodded shyly, she told him to go get ready for bed. She handed him a set of fleece Ladybug pajamas that she'd made for her partner, and had been planning on surprising him with.

While he was getting ready, Marinette grinned, and changed into her matching pair of Chat pajamas. When Adrien reentered the room, he couldn't help but smile, seeing his partner dressed in his colors, with a pawprint over her stomach. He grinned shyly and twirled for her when she asked him to, assuring her that they fit perfectly.

They sat on her bed and talked for hours, staying in physical contact the whole time, holding hands, her head on his shoulder, or even just touching shoulders. Eventually they fell asleep next to each other curling into each other, a promise for always.

The next morning, Marinette suggested that the 5 superheroes meet to show each other their identities. Adrien was hesitant, but Marinette reminded him that she knew who they were, and assured him they would all be there for him, support and trust him. Reluctantly he agreed, and Marinette left for Master Fu's house to collect the three miraculous. After a quick chat with Master Fu, who approved of her reasons for revealing, Marinette dropped Trixx, Wayzz and Pollen with their chosens and sent them to meet her on the roof where Chat was waiting.

When Ladybug arrived with Queen Bee, the five superheroes looked at each other. Ladybug cleared her throat and started to speak. "I know you're wondering why I called you here." She stepped over to Chat and squeezed his hand. "I know all of you are friends of Adrien Agreste. He is going to need our support over the coming days and months. Will you be there for him, even knowing what you do about his father?"

Queen Bee was the first to speak up. "Of course. I'd do anything for my Adrikins. He knows that." She sniffed. "I'm closer to him than any of you could be."

Carapace chimed in next. "Of course, Dude. He had nothing to do with any of this. I tried calling him last night, and couldn't get ahold of him. I'm sure he turned his phone off, and I can't say that I blame him. Does he have somewhere to stay? He's always welcome with me."

Ladybug nodded. "He stayed at a friend's house last night." Taking a deep breath, she added, "Mine, actually." Everyone stared at her. She met Chat's eyes, and he nodded. That's the other reason why I brought you here. We're a team, and I'm glad for each and every one of you. I feel it is time that we all showed each other who we are underneath the masks."

Once again, Queen Bee broke the silence. "Well, everyone knows that I'm Chloe Bourgeois. Pollen, buzz off." In a yellow flash, Chloe stood on the rooftop, looking around at the other superheroes.

Rena Rouge, who had been quiet until now, was the next to drop her transformation. Chloe and Chat both gasped in surprise, while Carapace grinned and stepped forward, kissing her. "I've wanted to do that for a while now. Wayzz, shell off." When the light faded, Nino stood there, grinning at his teammates.

Turning to Chat, Ladybug whispered, "I told you they'll still be there for you, no matter what."

Tears were forming in Chat's eyes, but he raised an eyebrow at his partner. "You or me first, Milady?"

"My turn first. That way you can protect me if Chloe decides she's going to kill me." Chat chuckled, and Chloe's gasp of outrage turned into one of shock when Ladybug dropped her transformation. Marinette looked at the three people, their mouths hanging wide open. "Surprise?"

"Well, I'm not going to try and kill you, Dupain-Cheng." Queen Bee finally managed to spit out. "I can't believe you've been Ladybug this whole time."

Marinette shot an apologetic look at Chloe, then looked over to Alya, who was uncharacteristically quiet. She had a calculating look on her face as she looked between her best friend and the only one of them that still wore a mask.

Marinette reached over and grasped Chat Noir's hand, eliciting a soft, but excited squeal from Alya. Shooting her friend a quelling look, she turned back to her partner. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, but you know the people on this roof have your back 100%. We are all your friends, and we all love you."

Not looking away from Marinette's eyes, Chat Noir dropped his transformation. After a long moment of silence, three bodies moved in unison to wrap him in their arms, and three voices assured him that they would always be his friends. This time, when the tears ran down Adrien's cheeks, they were happy ones, safe in the knowledge that he would always have this family; the one of his own choosing.


	13. Hairstyles

_July 13: Hairstyles _

_Authors' note: CM and LM here! Ep let us team up *evil cackle* without supervision. That is NEVER a good idea._

_CM: Hey, Lyra, maybe if we gave Ep an electric blue mohawk, he'd be able to get Thomas Astruc's attention long enough for us to sneak in and steal the rights to Miraculous…_

_Ep: Just having hair would be worth it, whatever color it might be._

_Lyra: Oh, I, uh, might have dyed my hair blue already. _

_CM: *shrugs* Mine's green and black. Plagg colors. Cats are stealthy, right?_

Marinette stared at her dark hair in annoyance, frowning into the mirror.

"Do you think Chloe is right, Tikki? That my pigtails are babyish?" she asked her little red kwami who floated nearby while she yanked the ribbons from her signature hairstyle with rough, frustrated movements. "Maybe that's why Adrien just thinks of me as a friend. Maybe he thinks I'm a little girl!"

That thought made her shoulders droop. So much for trying to impress the boy of her dreams. With a soft wail, Marinette grabbed her hairbrush and pulled it through her black locks in despair.

"Help me, Tikki!"

"Oh, Marinette," giggled Tikki, fluttering into view with soft blue eyes. "I doubt that Adrien thinks of you as a little girl. But you can always change your hairstyle if you want to! Look!"

Marinette's phone fell into her lap, the screen lit up with a blog post titled '25 Hairstyle Ideas For Shoulder Length Hair.' Slowly she flipped through the pictures one at a time, absentmindedly listening to Tikki coo and squeal about each one. Some of them looked really pretty, but it seemed impossible. Pigtails were easy, simple, and fit well with her habit of racing out the door at the last minute. Who seriously had time to weave their hair into braided patterns across their heads before heading off to school each day? And beach waves might work for picture day, but she highly doubted that her hair flailing in the wind would be all that practical in an Akuma fight. Visions of her hair tangled around her yo-yo string danced in her head. Definitely not a good idea.

With a sigh, she dropped the phone onto her desk.

Maybe she'd just try a simple change. Like a ponytail - even if that did make her cringe a little. Ponytails were Chloe's thing. But maybe that would be a good place to start. With a decisive nod, she brushed her hair back smoothly along her head and twisted an elastic into place, leaving her hair dangling down the back in a sleek, black ponytail that stopped at the nape of her neck. She did look older.

Tikki clapped her hands in approval before zipping into her purse hideaway so Marinette could gather the rest of her supplies and hustle out the door for school.

The school bell was ringing as Marinette raced through the door to her classroom and slid into her seat. Trying to catch her breath, she flashed a toothy grin at Alya who was staring at her curiously. It took a moment for her to realize that everyone was staring at her silently. Even Adrien, whose green eyes had popped wide open in surprise.

"I like your hair," he said quietly. "It looks so different." A blush exploded across her cheeks as she attempted to unsuccessfully murmur a word of thanks. Alya caught her eye, eyebrow raised, looking ready to ask her usual 1,001 questions about the change in hairstyle when Ms. Bustier came through the door and called the class to order.

The rest of the morning was uneventful, other than the occasional flush that burnt her face whenever she happened to catch Adrien sneaking a peek at her.

"I think it's working, Tikki," she squealed quietly in the girls' room at break. "He keeps looking at me!" Her little kwami smiled happily from her hiding spot.

It was the middle of the afternoon when an akuma required Ladybug's skills and smoothly Marinette called her transformation, swinging into action along Paris' rooftops. Landing softly beside her partner, she surveyed the scene below.

"What's going on, Chat?" she asked, hoping he was more up to speed than she was.

"She's calling herself Cherry. I guess she was mad that Andre didn't put a cherrrrr-" he voice cut out as he turned to look at her. Stare, actually. Unblinkingly.

"Are you ok?" she asked, wondering why her kitty was just gaping at her awkwardly. Did she have something on her face? He snapped his mouth shut with an audible click and cleared his throat.

"Uh, yes. It's just, your hair, I've never seen it like that before."

Her hair? Reaching up, she ran her fingers along her scalp until she bumped into the start of her ponytail. Oh. Ponytail. A little surprised that Tikki hadn't changed the hairdo back to her classic pigtails, she straightened up and tried to look overconfident.

"Just trying something new, Kitty. Don't get too distracted." She shot him a stern look and he nodded, looking back to their villain of the day. Into action they ran together, no words needed between them as they worked in tandem against the cherry wielding akuma. Everything was running smoothly. At least until Cherry grabbed Ladybug by the ponytail and yanked her backwards with a surprised yelp.

Chat used the opportunity to snag the woman's ice cream sundae cup out of her hand and smash it against the ground, releasing the blackened akuma. The villain dissolved, leaving behind a young woman who let go of Ladybug's ponytail like it was on fire, apologizing repeatedly.

Arms outstretched for their traditional fist bump, Chat grinned slyly. She braced herself for the oncoming joke.

"So, how did the hair-experiment go?" Her eyes nearly rolled out of her head.

"Terrible. Ponytails are a definite no from now on."

Yo-yo thrown, she left him standing there laughing as she swung away.

The next morning, Marinette sighed into her mirror. A ponytail was out, but changing her hair had definitely got Adrien's attention. She decided on a variation of her normal theme, and french braided her hair into twin braids.

Even though she'd gotten up in plenty of time, she still had to dash out the door to school, just for the sheer amount of time that it took to do her hair that morning.

She made it to class with a minute to spare, and, much as they'd done the day before, the room grew quiet, appraising her change of hair style. She received several compliments from her classmates, and Ayla gave her a thumbs up, before running her fingers over the bumps, and giving the end a little tweak. Marinette shot her friend a dirty look, and the pair sat there giggling until the teacher arrived.

As she was sitting with her 3 best friends at lunch, Adrien commented that he really liked her braids, causing her cheeks to pink. She managed to garble out a thank you, although the smile that he gave her at that was almost her undoing. Alya just patted her back.

The afternoon went very smoothly, and Marinette decided she might stick with the twin braids. The next morning, she dragged herself out of bed and braided her hair again the next morning. The process was a little quicker, practice was making it easier, but her lack of alertness in the morning was highly detrimental.

She crossed the threshold of her classroom just as the bell was ringing, and fell into her seat as the echoes died away. It didn't really matter, as not even half an hour into her first class, the crashes and screams that were telltale signs that an akuma was close could be heard. Marinette quickly asked to be excused and rushed from the room. She was looking down at the akuma when she heard the thump of booted feet landing behind her. She heard a sharp intake of breath, and turned to see Chat Noir giving her an odd look. He didn't say anything, merely pugged the end of one of her braids. "Keeping up the hair experiment, I see." He purred at her.

Ladybug flashed a smile at him. "Ponytail was a bust. I'm trying something new. So far so good. Now… focus on the akuma."

After the fight, and their traditional fist bump, Ladybug's red ribbons flapped from the ends of her pigtails, but were fairly solidly in place, her braids had stayed, and nobody, other than Chat Noir, had pulled on them. The braids seemed to be a success. If only they were quicker to do.

Mornings became a blur of hair designs followed by racing to school before the bell, hoping akumas would keep away.

Several days and several failed hairstyles later, Marinette realized three things.

First, Adrien had definitely noticed the change. His attempts to stare at her subtly hadn't been successful. It made her giddy to know he was paying attention to her.

Second, hair was a pain. Every attempt she had made had left her tangled up, out of time, or an easy target She was just about convinced that shaving her head might be the best solution.

Lastly, Ladybug's sudden experiment in hairstyle had become a big discussion on the Ladyblog, readers wondering what was going on with their heroine.

Ladybug was sure today's akuma incident would add plenty of new conversation on Alya's site. Despite her better judgement, her hair hung loose, cascading in dark waves to her shoulders. Adrien's jaw had dropped when she had slid into class today, a shiver of success rippling through her to start the day. The unfortunate part was that her suspicions had been correct.

"Sit still," Chat ordered, gently tugging free the knots of her hair from their grasp on the string of her yo-yo. Tears eyes with each pull on her scalp. "This is a hairy situation you've gotten yourself into this time, milady."

She wanted to groan in annoyance, but all that escaped her was a small yelp at a sharp tug. Chat apologized quietly.

"Maybe we should just cut the tangle out," she wailed, reaching up to feel how badly it had twisted together. Chat's gloves hand grabbed hers and he knelt in front of her.

"Never. This hair is too important. Too beautiful. Now, stop squirming and let these claws work their magic."

Gently, so gently, he focused on the tangled mess of her hair. Claws pulled the knots from the string, easing them free. She could feel him softly run his claws through the hair that he loosened, smoothing it down. It felt like forever when he finally passed her the yo-yo, lips pulled back in a cocky smile.

"You probably should keep this somewhere safe. Away from your hair."

Ladybug couldn't conceal the relief she felt, arms clamped around him in elation with words of gratitude tumbling out. When she pulled back, a blush had grazed his cheeks hand behind his head to rub his neck.

"If I knew the secret to Milady's affections was by brushing her hair, I would have pulled her pigtail ribbons off long ago." The confident grin returned.

Arms outstretched, they gently bumped each other with a shy "Pound it."

"And now, fair lady, I bid you adieu." A simple two finger salute and he vanished, hopping off the rooftop he had vaulted them to post battle when releasing the ladybugs had resulted in a fixed city but trouble for her.

Yo-yo hooked carefully on her hip, ran her fingers through her freed hair in relief. Loose hair was a definite no.

Marinette gave up. As much as she liked the attention she'd received from having a variety of hairstyles, and, she had to be honest with herself, the fun she'd had trying them out, she definitely preferred the ease and practicality of her pigtails. That morning, instead of a fancy new style, Marinette pulled her hair back into its traditional twin pigtails. Tikki came floating over to her and smiled at her chosen, patting Marinette on the cheek. "You know, I liked all the different hairstyles, but this one is the most you."

Smiling at her kwami, Marinette agreed. Since she didn't spend a ton of time fussing with her hair, she was early to class that day, in her seat before most of the other students. Nearly everyone nodded and smiled at her as they walked in, a few commenting that they liked her signature style.

When Adrien entered the room, he smiled to see Marinette back in her normal style, the one he had first seen on the person he was becoming increasingly certain was her, when she crashed into him after swinging through the skies on her yo-yo. Smiling for her alone, he said softly, so only she could hear, "All the styles that you've tried look good on you, but this one is the most Marinette." With a wink, he slid into his seat and faced the board, leaving her blushing and stammering out a "thank you".

There wasn't an akuma attack for a few days, and Adrien was almost disappointed. At this point, he was fairly certain that Marinette was Ladybug, and if her hair was back in pigtails, he would confront her about it. The next attack was a tough one, and they were both almost out of time when a twin tailed Ladybug tossed her lucky charm up into the air, setting Paris to rights once again. Ladybug ran home as quickly as she could, the gathering twilight as sign that school was long since over for the day.

Chat Noir changed back into Adrien in an alley a little closer to the scene of the battle than he would like, but he was simply refueling Plagg before he went in search of Marinette. As Chat approached the bakery, he saw the girl in question sitting up on her rooftop balcony, sketching. Altering his trajectory so that he would land beside her, he smiled when she jumped. "Have you been out here long?"

Smiling at him Marinette answered, "For a while. What brings you up here?"

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood." He shrugged. Leaning over, he ran one claw through her pigtail. She gave him an odd look, but didn't pull away. Grinning, Chat said, very softly, "You seemed to enjoy it the other night when I untangled your yo-yo."

At that, Marinette did pull away, staring at him with a look of shock. Chat looked like a cat who caught the canary. Before she was able to find her voice again, he said, "I'll need your help tomorrow morning. I'll be by about an hour before school." With that, he winked and jumped off into the night.

It was a sleepless night for Marinette, so she was up, dressed and waiting on her balcony with a plate of fresh croissants when Chat Noir appeared the next morning, a huge grin on his face, and a container of blue styling wax in one hand. "Good morning, Princess. Since you seem to have such a purrfect grip on styling hair, I was wondering if you could help me with mine. I'm thinking a mohawk would be the perfect way to bug the girl who sits behind me in class."

Marinette shook her head at him. "Really? Now that you know who I am, you're going to use your knowledge to play practical jokes on your classmates?"

Chat laughed. "Just this once. It is fur a very special reason."

Still shaking her head, Marinette scooped out some of the wax, and set to teasing her partner's surprisingly soft hair into an electric blue mohawk. When she was done, she patted him on the shoulder, and told him she had to get going to class. He took off, too, much less flamboyantly than usual, trying to stick to the shadows as much as possible, so that nobody would see his new style until he was ready.

Managing to slip into his seat, fairly unnoticed, it didn't take long, however, for people to notice Adrien Agreste sporting an electric blue mohawk.

When Marinette walked from the locker room to her classroom with Alya, she saw the knot of people at her classroom door, most from other classes, and even grade levels. Mme. Bustier approached from the other direction, gently disbursing the crowd, sending them back to their own classes. It wasn't until she was two steps inside the door that her eyes caught a hint of electric blue. Eyes snapping to its source, she took in Adrien sitting there, smiling a very Chat Noir smile, sporting the exact same hairstyle that she'd done in Chat's hair not half an hour ago.

His words came back to her. _I'm doing it to _bug _the girl who sits behind me._

"YOU!" The word was out of her mouth before she'd decided whether she wanted to smack him or kiss him. Doing neither, she grabbed his arm and dragged him behind her to the now empty locker room, hearing his chuckle floating around her.

Making sure they were truly alone, she turned to him. "Kitty?" She asked, in a much smaller voice than she intended.

Grinning down at her, he said, "It's me, Bugaboo."

She groaned, and dropped her head to his chest, sighing. "All this time?"

He reached up, running his fingers through her pigtails. "I felt the same way when I realized my partner was showing up with the exact same hairstyles as the girl who sat behind me in class. I don't think anyone else has caught on, though."

At that, the pair heard a much higher pitched laugh, as Tikki phased through Marinette's purse. "You know, Marinette, I could have just kept your pigtails when you transformed. I've done it before."

Marinette shook her head, remembering. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Tikki smiled. "This was way past due. Besides, it was…"

"Fun!" Interrupted the black kwami, who had floated out of Adrien's pocket. "This was fun."

Marinette dropped her head into her hands. Her voice slightly muffled, she said to nobody in particular, "I know I'm going to have a melt down about this, but for right now, I think we need to head back to class." She reached out and grabbed Adrien's hand. "Come on, Punk Kitty. We need to get back, so that your dad doesn't have something else to yell at you about. I'm fairly certain pictures of your new style are going to be all over social media by now."

Adrien groaned. "I hadn't even thought about that."

"Don't worry. We can wash it out at my place before you go home. You can pretend like it wasn't even you."

He sighed and rested his head against hers. "Thank you, Milady."

She smiled back at him. "No problem, Kitty."


	14. Sick

July 14: Sick

_Author's Note: Epcot97 here with an "other side of the coin" kind of story. Back during MariChatMay we saw how Marinette springs into motion when her kitty is sick. This time around, it's Chat's turn when Ladybug is more than just under the weather._

_Did you catch the Miraculous panel at Comic-Con and that guy in the Chat Noir outfit in the front row? I thought maybe I could get their attention, finally; sadly, I was just one Chat among many._

_Lyra: Good try though. I'm planning to go to the Expo here in Canada this summer and stand in line to meet Bryce (and Christina, hopefully). Should I see if they can help us with this whole "give us rights" plan?_

* * *

It had been a long day at the practice, and looked like it would be longer still as I glared at the stack of charts that still needed notations. Being Friday, and not particularly wanting to be a grinch, I'd let my nurse go on time so she could make date night with her husband - though not without a stern warning that I not mess up her filing system when I closed down for the night.

I sighed, leaned back in my chair and pressed my hands to my tired eyes, and contemplated the Keurig that was mocking me from across the office. Another cup would mean I could go for another hour; based on the pile of k-cups in the trash, though, I feared an overdose was more in order. I sighed again, readjusted the stethoscope I appeared to still be wearing, and slid my spectacles back down to squint at the chart I had open on the computer.

On the verge of swearing at the government bureaucrat that had foisted electronic medical records on us, I came up short, my gaze suddenly shifting from the computer to the door to my private office. Someone was in the hallway; I had heard the same telltale squeak Jeanne made in her rubbery nursing shoes, but she wouldn't dream of returning at this late hour.

"Hello?" I called out, sliding my spectacles up to my bun and slipping around the desk. There was a ceramic mortar and pestle sitting on my bookcase that had never seen service; I grabbed the pestle, held it behind my white lab coat and carefully pulled the door open. "Is anyone there?"

The pestle clanged to the floor in shock when my gaze fell upon Chat Noir; his wide green eyes were faintly glowing in the semi darkness of the hallway. "Mademe Médecin," he said formally. "I'm sorry to have startled you. But I need your assistance."

I crossed the space to him quickly. "What's wrong?"

Chat moved to one of the exam rooms, where one of the subdued cabinet lights had been turned on. The tall window fronting the street immediately drew my attention - I knew Jeanne's attention to detail would have ensured it hadn't been gaping that wide when she left. That had to have been how Chat had gained entrance. Three floors up.

Stepping out of the way, he revealed Ladybug on the examination table, curled into a fetal position. An eyebrow went up. Had he really somehow carried her in? Through the window?

From the position of the trash can, I knew it had recently been used; remnants clung to her lips, which Chat Noir quickly wiped away with a damp cloth I'd not noticed he had in one hand. Or were those paws?

Chat swiftly leapt up behind her on the small table, and carefully lifted Ladybug's head into his lap. He was much smaller in person that he looked on television, and the black leather of his costume didn't leave much to the imagination. At first glance, I'd assumed his "tail" was just an affection, but as he stroked her hair, the end of it actually twisted in angst. "She's had a fever for about two days now, and I can't be sure it's not an aftereffect of one of the akumas we've fought."

I pressed a hand to a portion of her face that wasn't covered by her mask and nearly pulled it back in shock; fever was an understatement. "Two days?"

"Yes," Chat said, but he looked uncomfortable with the admission. "She tried to hide it from me, but I could smell it."

I nodded as if I understood; it was well known that cats had a better developed sense of smell, but I just assumed he'd chosen to be _costumed_ as a cat. Was it possible, even _remotely_ possible, he actually had feline abilities? I looked more carefully, and realized his eyes had slanted irises, something I'd missed in the semi-darkness.

He slipped down gently and pulled another set of towels from the dispenser by the sink, efficiently soaked them in cold water, and slipped back up behind his partner, pressing the damp towels to her forehead. "She said she was feeling better today, but I knew the minute I saw her tonight she was anything but."

His wide masked green eyes looked up at me, his expression worried. "She threw up whatever she'd had for dinner two rooftops into our patrol, and then passed out on the third." Chat considered something, and then added, "I can't exactly take her to a hospital, and I knew you'd still be here."

"How-" I started.

"We have a mutual friend. You've been his family doctor for years."

"And he told you about me?" I chuckled, despite the insanity of having not one, but _two_ superheroes in my practice. Turning to retrieve the digital thermometer, I added: "It's true that most of my patients know I'm here well after normal hours." I turned back and carefully ran the device across Ladybug's forehead. 41C. Ouch.

Chat saw my expression and his eyes narrowed. "How bad?"

"Bad enough," I said. "Can I assume she's already tried acetaminophen or ibuprofen?"

He nodded. "I insisted on that myself, but it I don't know what she might have taken today."

I did a quick exam of Ladybug; her heart was racing, which was not unexpected if she was fighting off something. Respiration was shallow, and her blood pressure was high for someone looking to be in their teens and fit. Pulling off the stethoscope, I looked up at Chat. "This is a delicate question, but can we get this suit off?"

The poor kid actually flushed crimson. And it dawned on me in that moment that the two of them were both _kids_. Kids who had been running around and saving Paris from heaven knew what for some time now. It made my late night sessions at the office seem insignificant at best.

"Err, no," he said hastily. "It's part of the... magic... that comes with the gig. If she wakes long enough," and he flushed deeper, "she, uh, can de-transform." He looked away. "She won't want to, though," he added quietly. There was a subtext there I didn't understand, but let it go.

"Well, clearly she's fighting something," I said. "Her temperature is very high, so I'd normally recommend more acetaminophen, but if she's been this way for a bit, I would also suggest trying to cool her down a bit."

"Should we do both?" Chat asked, making an intuitive connection.

"We can," I said. "I've got a therapy bath in the therapy room. If you can bring her over, we can sponge her a bit easier."

Without saying a word, Chat scooped up Ladybug far more easily that someone of his size should have been able to do, and followed me out and down the hallway to the therapy room I used for my older patients. A small, shallow whirlpool was in the corner, and he followed my hand gesture toward it and carefully slid her into the tub. By the time I'd returned from the nurses station with a shot of super Tylenol, he had somehow perched on the edge of the tub and was gently dabbing a sponge over Ladybug's form. If it was even possible, his face had darkened to a deep crimson, making it clear to me he'd perhaps not been this… intimate… with his partner before. He remained completely professional, though, and I tactfully decided not to say a word.

Chat looked up at me and I could see he was exhausted. How long had he been with her? I started to suspect he'd carefully edited the timeline and that, perhaps, Ladybug becoming insensate had been his chance to finally get her help.

"It's been longer than two days, hasn't it?"

He looked away, cheeks flaming again. "Yes," he said after a long moment. "She refused to get any help, and I refused to leave her." His blonde mane snapped back. "Did I wait too long? I knew I should have forced-"

"You did the right thing," I assured him, though the jury might still be out on that. "Keep that sponge going," I added, "and we'll pump up her body's ability to fight this."

As worried as he was, a smile actually broke through Chat's face. "You'll have a hard time with that needle," he offered.

Ignoring him, I tried to insert the business end into Ladybug's shoulder, only to watch the needle bend when I pressed it to her costume. "Ah," I said. "One second."

Dashing back to the nurses station, I located the liquid version we used for younger pediatric patients, and returned to the room. "Hold her gently," I said, and we carefully tipped in a mouthful of the fluid.

Some dribbled down her chin, which Chat quickly dabbed away, but the balance seemed to get into her. "Now we wait," I said.

Chat looked at me. "I'm so sorry, Madame Médecin. You probably had plans this evening. Go home, I'll stay here with her."

I smiled my best doctor smile. "I never leave a patient who needs me," I said, gently placing a hand on his costumed shoulder. I was surprised again: it looked like leather, but felt like something infinitely smoother. The tension in the muscle just below the skin tight fabric was palpable. "Let me get some coffee and I'll be right back."

His ears - his _feline _ears - actually perked up at the mention of caffeine. "Would it be possible-"

"Two mugs, coming right up," I laughed. "Do you take anything?"

He smiled tiredly at that. "I like mine black."

"Of course you do," I chuckled. "Back in a jiffy."

We sat that way through the night, two strange companions fate had suddenly thrown together. I took Ladybug's temperature every thirty; we managed to get another dose of super Tylenol into her around midnight, and the fever finally broke in the early hours of the morning. Chat and I passed the time talking about everything and nothing, though he was careful to keep the topics neutral enough that he wouldn't reveal anything personal.

He didn't have to on one point, though. Without saying a word, I knew from how he caressed his partner's head just how he felt about her; he barely moved more than a foot away from her, if that. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't followed the two of them on the Ladyblog - who in Paris didn't read that? - but _had_ scoffed at the chat boards opining about the two of them being an item. Now, seeing them in person, it was clear how at least one of them felt about the other.

The sun had started to slant in through the treatment room windows when Ladybug stirred. Chat moved from where he was positioned behind her and took her hand in his paw. "Milady?" he said urgently, those emerald eyes of his scrutinizing her face.

I stood from the chair I'd been in, slightly jealous that Chat didn't appear to be stiff in any way, and leaned over the teens. "There we are," I greeted, reaching for the digital thermometer. "How are we feeling?"

"Tired," she said. "And hungry."

"Both good signs," I said as I ran the device across her forehead. 37.9C. Good. "Much better," I smiled.

She looked to her partner. "How long-"

"Long enough," he smiled tiredly. "Let me take you home."

"Chat-"

"Or I'll take you to _my _home. Your choice." His tone didn't brook any argument, and I could see on Ladybug's face, she wasn't used to him dictating terms.

She looked at me. "Can I go home?"

"Yes," I said, "but you still need rest, fluids and something in your stomach." I turned to Chat. "You'll ensure all three?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"I will," he said firmly.

"If anything changes," I said, scribbling my personal cell down on the back of a business card, "call me. I'll meet you here, any hour, any day."

Chat took the card. "That's not-"

"It's my small contribution to your efforts," I said. "And I will be discreet."

His masked eyes went wide. Clearly this was the first time he'd encountered such an offer. "Okay," he said simply. "And thank you."

"Anytime," I said, and I watched in amazement as he deftly lifted Ladybug out of the tub, threw open the window with his free hand, and vanished into the early morning.

I stood there, slack jawed, wondering if the last fourteen hours had actually happened. The ache in my back said it had, and the yawn that I could no longer stifle. I quickly cleared away the materials we'd used, turned out the lights, brewed yet another cup of coffee and started back in on the charts.

Jeanne found me an hour later, poking her head into my office. "Deidre?" she asked, eyes looking me over. "That looks like what you were wearing yesterday. Were you here all _night_?"

I looked up, knowing that I had made a promise but also aware that the truth would be even harder to believe. "It's a calling," I laughed.


	15. Animal Tendencies

July 15: Animal Tendencies

_Author's Note: When our heroic duo faces and akumatized florist, Chat Noir finds himself dealing with Tribble-like trouble and a partner more interested in tiptoeing through the tulips. ChubbyUnicornMama and Epcot97 are the resident botanical experts responsible for this mess._

_CM: We have written two stories about tulips, one for each of the previous months. If you are not caught up, no worries here are the basics: Chat and Ladybug are already dating and tulips have a catnip-like effect on Marinette. _

* * *

Chat Noir flipped into a stand next to Ladybug, who was atop a small water tower overlooking what might have been the plaza around the Arc de Triomphe. He frowned, for the entire area now looked like the inside of a greenhouse - there were flowers of all shapes and sizes covering every square meter of the space, and had begun crawling up the sides of the Arc itself. What was worse was the greenery appeared to be self-replicating, moving outward from where the akuma was standing at the exact center of the circle.

He was about to turn to his partner when his feline sense of smell picked up the trace of the one flower he knew would be more trouble than any akuma. Eyes widening, he sprung into motion and tackled Ladybug, hurling them into the air and upwind from the burgeoning pop-up park.

"Hey!" Ladybug cried out in surprise. "What the heck-!?"

"We need to get you away from there," Chat said quickly as he leapt across an alleyway and then landed several rooftops away from the Arc. Warily, he eyed his partner as he set her down, looking for any noticeable sign that he'd not gotten her away fast enough. He was rewarded with a punch to the bicep.

"What was that about?" she demanded, eyes flashing. "There's an akuma over _there_! Not _here_!"

"Tulips," Chat said simply.

Ladybug's eyes widened. "Oh," she said knowingly. "Uh, thank you, I guess," she said, smiling weakly.

"I'll go back in and see if I can quickly identify where the akuma is hiding," Chat said, keeping his eyes firmly trained on his partner. A moment of inattention last time around had led to her up to her pigtails in petals. "But you have to _promise _me you'll stay _right here_," he insisted.

"Chat, you're overreacting," she said.

"Can you blame me?" he said. "The _last_ time we-" he stopped short, his masked green eyes flying wide open. The wind had shifted, and the fragrant scent he feared was heavy in the wind. "Ladybug, we're going to have to move again."

He made a move to grab her, but she deftly stepped away from him. Chat made a second move, and this time Ladybug shot past him on her yo-yo; the wild look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know, and he quickly launched himself into the air behind her.

Generally speaking, they were evenly matched when racing through the skies, but the tulip pollen appeared to have given Ladybug more of an edge, and she easily pulled away from him. He poured on the speed and managed to briefly close the gap; what he saw shocked him enough that he faltered on a leap and nearly fell several stories before hooking a claw on a flagpole.

Ladybug had mutated this time; actual _wings_ had sprouted from her back, and two antenna stalks had appeared atop her pigtails. The akumatized tulips had dramatically increased his problems tenfold. As he hauled himself back up the side of the building and took off after his partner, he wondered just how he was going to get out of this one.

Her antennae were quivering as she rolled in the flowers. Every flower that she touched multiplied in her hands. Her favorites were the tulips, and she just kept reaching for them. A little voice way down deep was screaming at her to stop, but she just tuned it out as she reached for more. Chat landed beside her, scooping up a large handful of tulips, trying to get her to focus on him. The ploy worked… to a point. He had her attention, but she wasn't focused on the flowers in his hands. Instead, she was peppering his face with little kisses, and scratching behind his feline ears.

Unable to stop the purr that exploded out of his chest, Chat suddenly had trouble concentrating on the task at hand. He dropped the flowers and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend to pull her closer, when his hands brushed against the gauzy black wings that stuck out from her back. He was snapped back to their situation, and the reality of the greenery that was slowly overtaking the city. Her antennae twitched, noting the change of his emotions, quivering slowly as he stared at them, wondering how to get Ladybug back to normal.

He had a thought, hopefully one that would pan out better than the last, and leaned forward to whisper in Ladybug's ear, "Do you see that man over there, the one all dressed in green with the pruning shears on his belt?" She nodded and so he continued. "That man wants to grow greenery all around the city of Paris, but he wants to take away all the flowers. Especially the tulips."

At her outraged gasp, he knew he had her. "Come on. We must defeat him and cleanse his akuma before he gets rid of all the flowers. I'm fairly certain the akuma is in his shears."

Ladybug nodded, shaking her head, trying to fight the pull of the flowers, knowing she had to fight the man who wanted to take them away from her. Now that she had something to fight for, Ladybug was fiercely determined to defeat the flower hater. Her lucky charm matched her mood, and arrived, simple and deadly: a bottle of weed killer with a spray nozzle attachment. Wielding it like a flamethrower, Ladybug used it to carve a way through the ever thickening vegetation to the center patch of bare earth that surrounded the akuma. Peering through the bushes that outlined the edge of the circle, they watched the akuma slowly circling, watching for the appearance of anyone.

Once his back was completely to them, Ladybug shot out her yo-yo, snagging the shears. As soon as the target was within reach, Chat called on his power, and destroyed the akumatized object.

When the akuma was purified, Ladybug hesitated. "I know that this will clean up the city." She said, gesturing to the weed killer in her hands. "But it will make all my tulips disappear!"

Chat just looked at her reproachfully. She sighed and said, "Fine! Miraculous Ladybug!" and tossed the lucky charm in the air. As the plants winked out from the ground, and the pollen was stripped from the air, both Chat and Ladybug started breathing a little easier. Chat was relieved that, even intoxicated on the tulip pollen, his partner could still put Paris first. He turned to her, hovering beside him, her eyes on the same level as his, that he realized she still had her wings and antennae, even after the last tidying ladybug disappeared from view.

"Milady," he said, scratching at his nose. "You still look like a ladybug."

"I do," she replied after tilting her head to see her wings were still there and still flapping. She turned back and started to say something, but caught her breath.

"What?" he asked, still scratching. The pollen seemed to have made the sides of his nose more sensitive than normal.

"You have… whiskers…" she said.

Chat flushed. As blonde as he was, and as young as he was, it took a few days for facial hair to really become obvious and he was a little embarrassed about the whole thing anyway. Especially since it had been Nathalie who had gone over the finer points of shaving with him; that was a cringe-worthy episode of his life he'd never want to repeat. Then again, what little stubble he produced had never been visible while he was Chat Noir. Flushing deeper, he ran a gloved finger over his cheek but didn't feel anything. "Milady-"

"Whisker whiskers," she said.

His nose twitched again, and this time he pulled out his baton and reversed the camera. Six dark, cat-like whiskers had sprouted from either side of his nose. Tapping one with a claw edge, the shock of _feeling_ ran through him, a shiver so strong it made him blink. "That's new," he said carefully. Looking back to his partner, he continued. "I'm guessing I've been affected by this pollen, too."

Ladybug nodded; even with the pollen now gone, she knew that she'd be a bit fuzzy around the edges for a few hours, and lamented the coming headache. She looked at Chat with a bit of concern, wondering what other catesque tendencies might develop in her kitty. "We need to de-transform," she pointed out as both her earrings and his ring sang their respective three-minute chirps. "We might get lucky-Chat!"

While she'd been talking to him, his ears had suddenly flattened and eyes had narrowed; uncharacteristically, he bolted from her side and threaded his way through the traffic working its way around the Arc. She took off after him, and found a moment later that he was chasing, of all things, a pigeon. Flying across car rooftops and somersaulting around lamp posts, he'd managed to keep up with the poor bird who had quite possibly never been chased by a human-sized cat before.

What worried her more, though, was the strange, guttural growling emanating from her partner as he chased the pigeon back and forth across the rotary. Her eyes widened when she realized his tail - his magic leather belt of a tail - had fluffed out as if he were actually a cat in pursuit of its dinner. Judging by how the pigeon was nearly within claw range, she suspected Chat was seriously contemplating such an action.

Earrings chirping their two minute warning, Ladybug quickly looped her yo-yo over a convenient lamp, and then timed her throw to catch Chat as he sailed past her, arms outstretched and nearly on top of the frantic pigeon. He let out a massive snarling growl as the yo-yo encircled his torso and halted his forward progress, and started flailing his arms in an attempt to restart his pursuit despite Ladybug tugging on the line and reeling him back.

"That's my _meow _meal," he growled at her, now frantically trying to use his claws to remove the yo-yo. "Let _meow_ down!" he cried, his tail thrashing.

If it hadn't been as serious as it was, she'd have started laughing; Chat was cute as a… cat. But she also knew he could be quite dangerous, especially if the lines between being Chat and, well, being a cat were getting blurred for him. His ring sang out the final minute countdown, and her earrings were right behind; no question now they were going to de-transform together, but there in the rotary was likely not the best spot.

Sighing, she unhooked the line from the lamp with a quick flip of the wrist, sending Chat crashing to the sidewalk. He was slightly dazed, just long enough for her to quickly loop the bands of her yo-yo around him a few more times. Shaking his mane, he quickly leapt to his feet, but she'd already grabbed his tail; between the yo-yo and the tail, she was able to pull him, literally kicking and screaming, out of the rotary. She managed to drag him down several blocks before finally finding a suitable alleyway to trudge into, pulling him in after her.

Chat continued to hiss and bare his teeth at her, and his ears were pressed flat against his blonde mane. He'd persisted in a tug of way against her all the way to the alley; he'd growled a minor victor cheer when he managed to free his tail from her grasp, but it was short lived. She'd used it as a distraction to loop her yo-yo around a massive dumpster; Ladybug couldn't help but stick her tongue out at Chat as she continued to hold him at bay, much to his consternation.

The final chirps issued from their respective Miraculous, and two flashes of magic energy later, Marinette was staring at a perplexed Adrien; with the removal of the yo-yo they'd both been holding on to, they fell backwards in perfect synchrony to the pavement.

Staring at the blue sky framed by the buildings on either side of the alley, Adrien's hands immediately went to his nose, and he breathed a minor sigh of relief there were no whiskers present. However, he wasn't as sure as to _why_ he was now in the alley. "Should I know how I got here?" he ventured.

"Maybe," she said, sitting up herself and confirming the wings and antenna were missing. "Are you still hungry?" she teased.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean, Princess?"

"Oh, nothing," she said sweetly as she stood and dusted off the debris from her trousers. She trotted over to Adrien and gave him a hand up. Their respective kwamis were floating nearby, unusually quiet.

"Did de-transforming work?" Adrien asked. "I mean, it looks like it did in part," he added, peering at her back.

"I think so," she replied as she fished out a macaroon for Tikki. Adrien followed her lead and tossed a piece of cheese to Plagg, and then a second once the first disappeared into the black hole. "But we should re-transform just to make sure."

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Adrien groaned. "All right then. Hopefully no more whiskers!"

"They kind of go with the costume," Marinette teased. Turning to Tikki. "Tikki - spots on!"

Adrien was right behind her. "Plagg - claws out!"

Two flashes later, Chat was carefully examining Ladybug to ensure all of her extra adaptations had not reappeared. "How do you feel?" he asked. "Any desire to go frolic in the tulips?"

"That will always remain," she chuckled. "But at the moment, I feel normal. You?"

"Same," he said, but not without one last check to confirm the whiskers hadn't appeared. He popped open his baton. "Well, look at that. It _is_ lunch time!" he said happily, and then his eyes strayed from hers to a spot over her shoulder.

Ladybug looked, and a pigeon had landed on the fire escape above them. Her head snapped back to Chat, who was wearing a huge grin. "Sorry," he was laughing, hard. "I couldn't resist."

He was unable to avoid the yo-yo that plonked him between the feline ears.


	16. Akuma

**Day 16: Akuma**

_Lyra here. So, I decided to get a little different with today's prompt: Akuma, and see what the Miraculous world is like from the viewpoint of someone who never gets to speak - an akuma themselves. _

_Reminder, none of us own Miraculous - that's the team at Zag and Mr. Astruc, but we do own the rights to be obsessed by it. And that, we claim in spades. _

_Enjoy._

At first, my world is only wings

Softly fluttering little things

One of many, a whole room full

My brothers, sisters, waiting all

Until the darkness comes, and then

My world is black and heavy when

Released, I flitter through the sky

Pulled to where the tears run dry

A voice it leads me on the way

Reminding of the role I play

To touch the broken heart inside

To give them hope, to be a guide

Channel feelings into power

Help them free to rule the hour

And so, I fly, I soar and flap

Heading out to set the trap

Into objects held or worn

I land and wondrous life is born

Controlling feelings once held hidden

Forced to do what my master's bidden

Strength courses quickly through their veins

The darkness from me soothes their pains

A new design, a brand new face

Bubbles over in their place

And then, together, off we run

To wreak some havoc, have some fun

It could be justice, revenge, or hate

But their actions never hesitate

Screams and panic fill the air

People running everywhere

This dark power makes us strong

Even though I know it's wrong

We don't care - continue on our way

To hurt the others, make them pay

Figures dressed in red and black

Standing ready to attack

My master's voice inside rings out

I hear him screaming, hear him shout

To get the miraculous for him now

To reach out and take them both somehow

The spotted earrings, the black cat ring

Our only mission so to action spring

A punch, a throw, begin to fight

A yo-yo tying us up tight

A kick, a yell, a dodge, a spin

For a moment, we think we'll win

A Cataclysm, A Lucky Charm,

Bind the villain, stop the harm

Between the movements it is clear

We will lose this now, we lose right here

The voice inside me urges more

To get those jewels, he needs them for

Some unknown wish, a deepen pain

I felt it when he called my name

A staff that bats against this arm

To knock off balance, not cause us harm

Red fingered glove stretching out to take

Hold of the object which I have staked

A harsh movement has it on the ground

Smashing it with a loud sound

My wings, mad flapping, aim for sky

It's not too far before a cry

And all around me is brilliant white

Surrounding me with burning light

Darkness seeping from my wings

Purified, my heart sings

Free at last, I fly away

The heroes again have saved the day

The clouds so white, the sky so blue

I wish I knew

How to leave, to live, be free

A life that should belong to me

And then the call - it pulls me back

The window closes, world gone black

And once again, my world is wings

Waiting now for other things

To stir emotions, make him hope

Until then we wait, we cope

And flutter here, inside this room

That feels more like a living tomb

But for now, we wait with flutterings

Butterflies with pure white wings.


	17. Oblivio

July 17: Oblivio

_Author's Note: Epcot97 here with the insane chance to write another variation of "What Happens After The Oblivio Episode." I teamed up with DearestMrIcarus last month for a MariChat version of that outcome, and this month, I try my hand at a LadyNoir resolution. Based on how that episode ended, however, I think I have my hands full. Fair warning: this is a two parter, with the finale appearing on July 22nd. _

_Ep: I had an idea that we might use the Cardboard Noir from this episode for Halloween this year, but it turns out to be surprisingly difficult to build._

_CM: You have plenty of time. Oh! And here's that blowtorch you asked for..._

_Lyra: Sharpies might be more efficient. Just sayin'_

* * *

The photo was _everywhere_.

Chat had even downloaded his own copy into the baton's photo library, and as he examined it yet again while perched atop the mansion, he marveled once more. For he had kissed Ladybug, and by his count, it was the second or third time he'd done so with no recollection of said event. Fate was messing with him and he was through with it.

He'd tried to question Ladybug but she'd become tighter lipped than an oyster trying to retain it's perl. But Chat suspected she knew as much as he did; from what the media had patched together, the akuma they had fought had wiped out memories, and the two of them had also been affected. Clearing the akuma with Miraculous Ladybug had restored them, but done so at the cost of erasing any recollections of what had led to the kiss now emblazoned across Paris.

Judging by the social media reaction to the photo, Chat wasn't sure if it made it worse that Paris seemed to have already assumed they were a couple.

Snapping the baton shut, he stared up at the moonless night sky, knowing he really needed to get some sleep. He had a midterm in Physics in a few hours, and though he wasn't especially worried about how he would do, he _was_ a diligent enough student to want to be well rested before tackling the exam. Stretching while remaining perfectly balanced, he decided he could spend a little longer out there before calling it a day. Chat had a mental itch that needed to be scratched, and no claws long enough for the job.

Vaulting from the dormer he'd been on, he worked his way through the inky blackness to the scene of the crime, as it were, winding up on the flat roof of the business building where it had all gone down. Crouched on the tile, the wind that high up ruffled his shaggy mane as he slowly scanned the space. Unsure of what he was looking for, he instead started a classic spiral search, and brought all of his feline senses to bear. There were still, even now, faint fragrant traces of Ladybug, Alya and Nino in the space, plus one other scent portfolio that seemed achingly familiar to his feline brain.

His night vision picked out the scuff marks of the battle, not completely wiped away by the Miraculous cure; if he wasn't mistaken, the portion over on _that _side was the part of the battle he could remember, just before he was hit; the rest had to have been after. He smiled a bit as his path took him to the spot where Ladybug had forcefully reminded them they were not a couple.

Photo evidence to the contrary, apparently.

Chat had nearly finished with the roof and was seriously considering using a claw to short circuit the elevator when he happened upon a bundle of cardboard stashed behind an HVAC unit. He nearly passed it by, but stopped when notes from that awful cologne his Father insisted he wore assaulted his feline nose. Backing up, he reached a paw into the small space and retrieved the bundle, and then returned to the wider space he'd just finished searching.

Carefully, he unfolded his treasure, and quickly found himself staring at a pretty decent version of his Chat Noir outfit, albeit in cardboard. It even had a tail, and two cardboard triangles for ears on a box that had to have been the helmet/mask. He leaned down again, and confirmed his own scent was on the outfit - he had worn it, as Adrien.

So he'd had to hide his identity, then. He held out the helmet, and drew the obvious conclusion: he'd needed to be Chat Noir, but for some reason had not been able to transform. Chat's heart skipped a beat, and wondered if he'd temporarily lost his ring to the Akuma, but no, he couldn't have, could he? Since the photo had him kissing Ladybug. As Chat.

He shook his head, blond locks flying as he did so. What _had _gone on? His catlike curiosity was insatiable, but there were few answers to be found.

Chat started to pack up the cardboard again, and was considering whether to take the package to his next meetup with Ladybug the following evening to see if it triggered anything for her. But as he turned to go, his feline ears picked up the faint whisper of the _ziing!_ associated with a particular yo-yo he was well acquainted with and paused.

A moment later, Ladybug dropped nearly noiselessly down beside him. "Chat," she smiled at him. "I see you also have a Gordian knot that refuses to reveal its secret."

"Milady," he bowed, taking her hand as always and laying a gentle kiss upon it. He nodded toward the cardboard, still arranged to look like the outfit it was. "I found this behind the HVAC over there. Look familiar?"

She knelt to the cardboard, and held parts up, but he could tell she was as flummoxed as he was. "Clearly this is your handiwork," she said, standing again. "Are you sure you wore it?"

"Completely certain," he replied, opting to not explain how he knew.

"I don't suppose you found a Cardboard Ladybug, too?"

"No," he said, "at least, not yet." Chat looked at her, emerald eyes locking on deep blue. They really hadn't talked about what had happened, despite Ladybug's statement to the contrary. Searching her face, he decided she might also be needing some answers of her own.

Two minds were better than one. Especially their two.

"Milady, I don't know whether to apologize or whoop with joy," he said softly, giving her a half smile that was more Adrien than Chat. "But I would be lying to you if I told you I hadn't thought about that photo every minute since seeing it."

Ladybug looked away, flushing slightly in the darkness. "I have to admit I am intrigued that your feelings toward me are alarmingly consistent."

_That_ made Chat smile. "_Why_ is that surprising?" he asked gently. "I've been pretty up front about my love for you."

She turned back toward him. "Yes," she nodded slowly. "I suppose you have."

A thought occurred to Chat as the two of them stood there, contemplating what may or may not have happened on that rooftop. "You never thought the flirting meant anything," he said simply, with a trace of sadness. "That my love for you is serious."

"Oh, Chat," Ladybug said softly, placing a hand on his costumed arm. "How could I? You're always punning your way through our time together. Between that and your flirting, you could see how a girl could misinterpret."

"I suppose," Chat said, but in a tone that implied disbelief.

Ladybug continued to look at Chat thoughtfully, and in such a way that he felt a bit of a flush creeping up his neck. "Do you think," she asked, haltingly, "that though our memories had been ripped away, our underlying core remained?"

Chat raised a masked eyebrow. "Yes," he said. "And I also know that we started off as Chat and Ladybug, and somewhere along the line… weren't." He indicated the cardboard. "I don't think I built this to hide my identity from you," he said, completing the unspoken thought. "And since we finished out as Chat and Ladybug, we were ultimately able to transform again."

She stared at him. "You think we found out who we are? Under the mask?"

"Yes."

Ladybug looked at him closely. "But you don't know _now_."

"No," he admitted. "Lost, apparently, along with why we kissed." He looked

That brought a smile to her face. "Oh, the reason we kissed was pretty obvious," she said. "If I am being honest with myself, I do look as though I'm a willing participant."

Chat flushed. "Milady, I would never-"

"I know that," Ladybug said quickly. "You are _you _no matter what." She looked down at the cardboard again. "I think this proves it. I'd be willing to bet I told you to take cover." Her eyes flicked back to his. "And, being you, this happened instead. Clearly you ignored me and instead found a way to be by my side."

Ladybug took a step toward Chat, and put one hand on his shoulder, and caressed the side of his mask with the other. "You found a way to be Chat, despite not being able to be Chat physically."

Swallowing hard, Chat tried to ignore the electricity her touch seemed to be generating. "I will always be by your side, Milady. Never doubt that."

"I never have, Chat," she said, and a tone of fondness he'd only heard a few times before had crept into her voice.

He was aware that there was another boy in the picture. That Ladybug may care for Chat, as a friend, but her heart was elsewhere. It forced him to hold on to the moment as long as he could; it would have to sustain him until he'd be able to sneak his way sufficiently into her heart. At length, she pulled away and stepped back.

"Well," she said, unspooling her yo-you preparatory to leaving. "See you tomorrow evening?"

"Unless Hawkmoth has other plans, definitely, bugaboo."

She smiled, and for once didn't remind him how she hated his pet name for her. But she paused as she began to throw her yo-yo into the night, and turned back to him. "How, exactly, did you know you had worn that outfit?" she asked, a strange expression on her face.

Chat had never been able to lie to her. He even had trouble with selectively telling the truth. "I can smell my cologne," he answered honestly.

"Is it that strong?" she asked, leaning down to take a sniff.

Chat's masked eyes flew wide open. "I have a stronger sense of smell than you, Milady," he reminded her quickly, reaching down to pull her back. Although he had no reason to suspect that Ladybug knew his alter-ego, prudence demanded he assume the worst - especially given how insanely fragrant the cologne was. If he got out of this he swore to himself he'd never wear it again.

But it was too late. Ladybug turned toward him, and her eyes were equally as wide as his, telegraphing a particular connection had just been made. "Ladybug?" he ventured, searching her eyes for confirmation, and finding it.

Chat found himself smirking just a bit. Of all the ways to have revealed himself to her, this had never cracked the top one hundred. "I guess the Chat is out of the bag," he said.

To his surprise, she was actually smiling at him. A genuine, million watt smile. "Yeah," she said. "I guess it is. You can tell your Father that's not one of my favorite fragrances."

His face started to flush, and his paw automatically went to the back of his neck. "Uh, I will pass that on. If I see him. Which is, like, hardly ever."

"I know," she said, smiling wider. "We've talked about it before."

"Milady, I've never discussed my family with you - at least, not as Chat."

"Exactly," she said.

Chat's eyes narrowed. "You're not going to reveal yourself to me, are you." It was more of a statement of fact.

"No," she laughed. "Not yet. You should have a fighting chance to figure it out yourself. And if you do," she said, spinning up her yo-yo again, "I can promise you that you'll not have to worry about your competition any longer."

"Wait just a meowment," Chat said, grabbing at her arm to keep her from leaping. "What are you saying? That you _are_ in love with me?"

"You love a good mystery, Chat," she said as she shrugged out of his grasp. "Follow the clues. Right into my heart."

Chat stared after her retreating form, and vowed he would do just that.


	18. Ticking Clock

July 18: A Ticking Clock

_Author's Note: Now that Chat has popped the question, a date has been set and the happy couple are on a collision course with the big day. Unfortunately, Fall Fashion Week happens to be about the same time. What could go wrong?_

_Do I need to even say it? That we don't own _Miraculous_? Because I die a little each time I do. _

* * *

I stood in the kitchen as Chat Noir, more out of habit than necessity, and watched as my fiancé dashed frantically from her bedroom to the mini-design studio we had in the living room, trailing patterns and swatches of fabric in her wake. Fall Fashion Week started in less than forty-eight hours, and our wedding happened in a week.

She had reason to stress, and I'd done everything short of pumping Xanax into the apartment to try and keep her on an even keel.

"Milady—" I started, trying to interject myself into her one-woman conversation.

Marinette flashed past me at warp speed, back to her bedroom, returning twice as fast with a pencil in her mouth and two in her bun. "Cffmt," she appeared to say after quickly kissing me on her way by.

I raised a masked eyebrow but understood the command, somersaulting over the kitchen island and running a new pod through the Keurig. I had been the world record holder when it came to milligrams of caffeine consumed; eyeing the pile of discarded pods, though, I was certain Marinette now had me beat by a healthy margin.

Circling back around the kitchen with the mug for her in one paw, I had a protein bar in the other, and I physically planted myself in her path. She was so caught up in her moment that she rammed headlong into my chest, sending fabric and patterns into the air. I deftly protected the coffee.

She looked up at me. "Chat," she said, a bit fuzzy. "You transformed?"

"I never dropped it," I reminded her. Then, at her blank stare, I prompted: "Akuma? Five A.M.?"

"My _GOD_, was that this morning?" she cried. "Where's my pencil? Have you seen it?"

Gently, I pressed the coffee into her hand with one paw, and then slid one of her spare pencils out of the bun. "Here," I said, with a trace of a smirk. "And you still have a backup."

She groaned. "I am a complete space cadet," she muttered, thumping her head into my chest.

"You also have seventeen pieces in the show," I reminded her. "And are the youngest designer in the history of the show to have her own session on the catwalk."

Those dazzling blue eyes looked up at my masked emerald ones. "I do, don't I?"

"Yep." I smiled. "I can tell you, though, Father is _not_ happy about me working for you."

She frowned again. "Has he been giving you trouble?"

"Not me," I said, "but my manager at the agency has gotten an earful. Repeatedly."

Looking worried, she pushed back a stray bang from my wild mane. "We need him to be at the wedding," she said quietly. "I hope he's not too angry."

"Doesn't matter," I said, and it was true. I rarely spoke to Father outside of the minimum needed to run the company. I sat on the Board now as a vice-chair and second largest stockholder; it was another part of my post-modelling career plan. As I hated every moment of it, I thanked the Kwami Gods that I was still Chat Noir. And about to marry Marinette.

"Adrien," she said softly, "I don't want to be a sticking point—"

"It's never been about you," I replied. "Our troubles go back much, much further."

Knowing I wasn't willing to discuss that particular point further, she simply nodded and started to munch on her protein bar.

"Sit," I said, pushing her toward one of the barstools. Reluctantly, she obeyed and continued to snarf down her protein bar between gulps of her coffee. Removing the pencils from her bun and the scrunchy she'd used, I ran my claws carefully through her hair, comb like, trying to get it less frazzled and more professional. I started up a contented purr in the process, and between that and my gentle combing, I could feel her relaxing just a bit.

"There," I said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. "You can put it up how you want."

She reversed her phone and smiled. "No," she said as she rotated the phone around her. "This looks great." She looked up at me. "Thanks for making me stop and smell the—"

"Tulips?" I laughed, making light of the one flower we both knew would seriously relax her. "Anytime, bugaboo."

She turned to go, and then paused. "Who, exactly, is getting married on Saturday?" she asked suddenly.

My eyes widened. "Are you pulling my tail?"

"No," she said, as she moved to stuff materials and notes into her satchel. "I'm serious. Is it Adrien and Marinette? Or Chat and Ladybug?"

"The two are interchangeable," I observed. "And we've already talked about this."

"When?" she asked.

"Between the discussions around the reception menu and where we're going on our honeymoon."

"Oh," she replied. "What did we decide?"

I flushed a bit. "We, uh, didn't. But if it helps, the invitation we sent out had our names on it."

"We'll decide tonight," she said confidently.

I had my doubts and they were confirmed; she wound up working late at the office, and I actually didn't see her again until the first day of the show. I was in the green room behind the catwalk, hair and makeup done, waiting for the first set of outfits to be delivered. There was a gentle knock at the door.

"It's open."

"Adrien?" Marinette appeared and made a beeline to my chair; the makeup artist tactfully stepped away while we kissed, though I knew she'd have words with me for allowing my makeup to get messed up. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. As she pulled back, I could see the dark circles under her eyes, and that she was wearing the same outfit I sent her to work with on Monday.

"Mon Cherie," I cooed, hugging her to my chest. "This is your big day. I knew you'd be busy."

"Yes, but we have a ton of-"

Both of our cell phones went off with the telltale tritone of an akuma alert. I groaned: why wouldn't Hawkmoth try and ruin Marinette's entre into the fashion world? My eyes locked with hers, and nodded slightly.

"See you out there?" she chirped and quickly backed out of the green room.

"Yes," I called after her. Then I turned to Cheryl. "I'm going to use the restroom while we wait," I said, waving off her actions to try and correct my makeup.

A few moments later, I'd hurled myself out the side windows of the men's room and into the air. As I'd gotten older – and taller – squeezing out of windows had become a bit more challenging. I located Ladybug on the roof of the convention center that was hosting the show. "Where?" I asked her simply.

She was scanning something on her Bug Phone. "Notre Dame," she said, eyes wide. "That's odd. It's still closed to the public – the restoration is taking longer than planned."

Together, we sailed off toward the gothic structure, still swathed in scaffolding. It wasn't hard to find the akuma – multicolored flares of light were coming out of the main chamber of the cathedral, and we swooped down to street level and ran into the space through the construction.

Everything of value – or remotely evocative of a place of worship – remained removed from the space. I was a little saddened that the majesty of the cathedral was lacking without the traditional trappings. But on the plus side, it made maneuvering in the space easier; on the negative side, though, there was no cover for us, either, as we quickly realized.

A petite figure was standing in the nave of the church, glowing with the multicolored aura we'd seen from outside. As we carefully drew closer, I could see she was dressed head-to-toe in a single piece of glowing fabric, replete with a thinner, veil-like top.

"A bride?" I said quietly, nodding to the bundle of flowers she was holding.

"Ironic," Ladybug said. "Jilted, perhaps?"

We stepped closer, carefully watching her reaction. I had my baton in one hand, slightly extended; Ladybug was slowly spinning her yo-yo. The akuma didn't seem to register our presence at all, just stood there (well, floated, since her high heels appeared to be about a meter above the flooring).

I started to step forward, but Ladybug caught my arm, and pointed. I followed her gaze and saw the grandfather clock that was sitting behind the akuma; it was as out of place as the woman, especially given it was tick-tocking away, but the face had no arms. I turned back to Ladybug. "Is she a victim?" I asked, wondering if this wasn't the akuma at all.

"I think they are tied together," she said, thoughtfully. "Watch for a moment."

I did as she instructed and saw what I'd initially missed. Every thirteen tocks, the akuma looked to the side. Like clockwork. "That has to have some meaning," I said quietly. "Biblical? Social?"

"Any of the above," she breathed. "So, the real question is whether the akuma is in the clock, or the flowers."

I turned back. "Are you the slightest bit worried that it hasn't tried to take us on yet?"

"I am," she said, "but we play the hand we're dealt."

I examined the vignette again. "Clock," I said.

Ladybug nodded. "I agree. Go for it, kitty."

Moving to either side of the jilted bride, I took the angle that put me close to the clock. Holding up my hand, I cried: "Cataclysm!"

Feeling the power in my fingertips, I quickly somersaulted over to the clock and gently tapped it. The clock turned to brown dust, and as I'd hoped, the akuma butterfly floated out from the debris. Ladybug quicky snagged it and cleaned it, and a few moments later, a grandmotherly woman appeared from beneath the purple wave of the akuma spell.

I looked to Ladybug as I knelt down. "This has to be one of the most subdued akumas we've ever faced." I paused. "Not counting the forty times we dealt with Monsieur Ramier."

Ladybug laughed as we helped the woman up. "Where am I?" she asked.

"Notre Dame, Madam," I said formally. She looked vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn't place her. "You're safe, now. Can we take you home?"

Ignoring me, the woman looked down at the miniature grandfather clock ornament in her hand. "Oh," she said, frowning. "That's right."

I took a closer look at the small object. It really was a small, ticking clock, the miniature of the one I had just destroyed. I looked back at the woman, only half hearing Ladybug going through her Miraculous Cure. "What is this?"

"It was a gift," she said sadly. "From my fiancé." She looked back at me, and I could see tears forming in her eyes. "He went to serve and never returned. He was a watchmaker, and crafted this so I could keep a part of him with me until returned." She looked away. "We were to get married here, you know."

I nodded, holding her hand in a paw. I knew my ring had started to chirp, but I had time.

"I waited. He never came." She looked back at me. "I thought I had moved past it. Years now, it's been. But today, this young man came in –"

It clicked. "You work at the Wedding License department, don't you?"

A look of surprise appeared on her face. "I do," she said proudly. "Fifty-five years now." She smiled finally. "The best part is getting to marry people on the spot. I do it quite a lot." Sighing, she looked away again. "This kid looked just like my Francois. It was remarkable, and all if it came back."

I tried not to flush. I was pretty sure I'd been the young man in question, for I'd visited the office earlier that afternoon to get our final paperwork for the wedding. Having been in a hurry, I had politely declined her offer to officiate on the spot – especially since Marinette hadn't been with me.

There was a way to make this right.

Glancing at my ring, I saw I still had four pads left. "Ladybug," I called. "A moment, if you please."

She quickly joined me. "What's up?"

"Marry me?" I asked.

Ladybug smirked. "I think we've already had this conversation."

"No," I said, nodding toward our companion. "This is Dorothy. She can marry us."

"How did you know—" Dorothy started.

"You mentioned it earlier," I quickly replied, knowing I'd remembered it from the form. I turned back Ladybug. "You asked earlier if we – Chat and Ladybug – should get married. Here's my answer." I turned back to Dorothy. "Would you do that for us? But if you do, you'll need to keep it under your hat."

Dorothy broke out into an award-winning smile. "Of course I will! But it won't be legal without the paperwork."

"I've got that covered," I smiled, then glanced at my ring, "but we'll need to move it along a bit."

Quickly, Dorothy recited the phrases she knew by heart, and I found myself staring at Ladybug, whispering the words I'd long wanted to say to her: "I do."

A moment later, in response to Dorothy's question, Ladybug softly replied: "I do."

There, beneath the half restored soaring arches of the cathedral, Dorothy's voice rang out. "I now pronounce you cat and bug!" Turning to me, she said with a wink: "Go ahead, Chat, you can kiss her."

I didn't have to be told twice.


	19. Identity Reveal

**July 19: Identity Reveal**

_Author's Note: Lyra here. This week, all three of us have teamed up to put our favourite duo into a bit of a sticky situation that ultimately leads to a discovery they weren't expecting. _

_Sadly, no miraculous transfer of ownership for our favourite show - that still belongs to Zag and Thomas, but….. I was thinking that maybe we could invest in some kind of candy store that sells only Miraculous inspired sugar products. Maybe if the head honchos see how sweet the lot of us are, they will be willing to consider us part of the team!_

_Ep: I'm in, as long as we don't sell gummy spiders. They give me goosebumps._

_CM: You don't think I'm sweet enough without candy?_

* * *

Since day one, my heart had yearned to know the identity of the girl behind the mask, but my partner had always insisted that it was too dangerous. Her preservation of the golden rule for superheroes was almost legendary.

Which is why I was surprised that she hadn't taken off yet, despite the insistent beeping of her earrings. She stood beside me with a slight look of desperation, seemingly trapped with our backs against the Seine.

"Go. I will hold them off." A gentle nudge on her shoulder got her moving, the earring beeps chirping out their final warning. With one last glance at my direction, she bolted, vanishing behind a wall just before a flash of brilliant pink threw her back to her civilian self.

Knowing she was right there, unprotected and barely out of sight line made me anxious.

But I could hear them coming, synchronized footsteps echoing off the bricks. Gripping my baton tighter, I braced myself for their arrival, shifting my feet slightly for better balance. She was Ladybug. She would be ok. I had to believe that.

The first group came around the corner and I grimaced slightly. I mean, who in their right mind would make an army out of oversized Gummy Bears? They had been remarkably challenging to deal with - creating a sticky sugary mess all across the city while Ladybug and I had tried to get past them to BonBon. Hawkmoth's villain of the week appeared to have an overly indulgent candy fetish and was determined to use her sweet new powers for evil.

Mentally, I gave myself a high five for the excellent pun before throwing myself at the advancing bears. Baton whirling, all I really seemed able to do was knock gummy chunks all over the street, leaving bears looking half eaten and my weapon a nasty mess. Frustrating would be a good word to describe this particular battle.

BonBon seemed to be buried somewhere in the middle of the group, protected on all sides by her sticky army. I doubted I could reach her alone.

How long did Ladybug's kwami need to recharge? It seemed like it should have been long enough, but my partner had yet to reappear. Keeping true to my word, I kept on swinging, determined to try to at least make a little dent in the sugar levels.

Their return attacks were not particularly effective, absorbing the damage more than doling it, but they did slow me down. Shoving two bears into each other so they tumbled over to the ground, I turned my attention to the next one stepping forward to fill the space.

"Gummy a break," I yelled, thrusting the pole out to stab the stupid bear right through before launching it into the air to crash into a group of others.

A sound that was definitely out of place caught my attention, making me turn to look in surprise as a pair of gummy worms, sour ones I would think, slithered through the legion of bears. Trapped within the coils of one was a terrifyingly familiar set of pigtails.

I pushed the button on my staff, forcing it to launch me over the top of the bears and towards her. She wriggled in the grasp of the snake without much success. Using the heads of the bears as stepping stones, I got close enough to realize that the pigtails didn't belong to my beloved Ladybug, but to the face of my civilian friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Who looked utterly annoyed while a small red blur buzzed around her.

Nearly there, I realized in surprise that the small thing must be a kwami and it was on the attack. Bitemarks that seemed to be way too large for such a small creature were appearing around Marinette - swallowing large chunks of gummy worm candy. Too much, maybe, but the kwami sure seemed powered up.

I didn't really have time to process the revelation of my partner's identity right now, instead putting myself on auto-attack, smashing the gummy worm with my princess over the head with my baton. Slithering to the ground, the coils loosened and Marinette tumbled softly to the ground, rolling to her feet.

Turning back to the advancing gummy army, I made a snap decision, calling Cataclysm and bringing my hand to the pavement in front of me, carefully focusing on the area where the gummies stood. A rumbling sound accompanied the sight of gummy bears sliding into a cavernous gap left behind by the destruction.

Whirling, I grabbed Marinette and bolted, taking note that the little red kwami raced alongside us. With determined steps, I ran us as far as I dared before setting her down on her feet.

She looked sheepishly at me before checking on her miraculous friend. What was her name again? I wracked my brain trying to remember, right as Marinette laughed a softly scolding, "Tikki!" before the being squished against her cheek.

A very brief moment of jealousy bubbled inside me as I saw how gentle Marinette's kwami was in comparison with mine. Freaking pain in the neck Plagg.

"So, uh… surprise?" Marinette finally muttered, turning nervous eyes to me. I gave her what I hoped was a casual smirk before I bowed deeply to her.

Of course Ladybug was Marinette. It all just clicked in place the more I thought about it. It felt right.

My ring let out a warning beep. She froze for a moment.

"Should I detransform?" I asked, waiting for her response.

"Not now. We can talk afterwards." With that, she transformed in front of me, an experience that made my heart leap unexpectedly while watching the face of my friend change into that of the girl I loved. She was off and running before my ring made a second beeping, swinging gracefully back to where we had escaped BonBon.

Letting Plagg out, I threw him some of the cheese I kept stashed in my pocket to help him recharge. He didn't really seem interested in having a conversation while chomping away loudly so I was left to my own thoughts - piecing together various memories of Marinette and Ladybug. It was strange. I had thought maybe finding out my partner's identity would be like a huge life-changing experience. Like the earth would shift on its axis to come into alignment. But, it was nothing like that. It just… was. It was like I'd already known.

Plagg cleared his throat in a not so subtle attempt to gain my attention. With a jolt, I sat upright, thrusting out my fist and called on the power of the miraculous to transform me back into Chat Noir so I could join my lady in the fight.

Baton twirling over my head, I hurried across the city to where Ladybug stood opposite BonBon, attack ready. The candy junkie had recreated her gummy army, marching them straight at the direction of my red-spotted partner. Throwing myself down to the street level, I slid into position at her side. Then, being me, I stepped a half step forward and slightly in front of her, baton at the ready. "I've got a strange desire to go to the movies," I said over my shoulder.

"I'm more of a popcorn girl," she replied with a chuckle.

Oddly, the sunshine was slanting at such an angle across the marching pectin, little rainbows of light were hitting spots of the sidewalk and reflecting against some of the buildings. It's weird what you see in high tension situations. But what wasn't in dispute was that BonBon had doubled her army in the short time it had taken for us to recharge. Given how ineffective we'd been earlier, that didn't bode well for us. "Two thoughts," I said as I extended the baton slightly.

"Okay."

"We're gonna need backup," I said, crouching a bit.

"That's a given. And two?"

"You need time to get them!" I cried as I launched myself toward the leading edge of the army. Growling, I came down behind them and extended the baton further, sweeping several of them across the pavement and squashing them together in a gummy mess against a coffee shop.

"Go!" I cried again as I leapt out of the way of another bear that had tried to hug me into submission. I decided on the spot I was never, ever, going to have lime-flavored anything again.

Ladybug prudently didn't argue and instead shot her yo-yo out and away from the melee. Outwardly I'd projected my usual cockiness for her, but inwardly I was a bit worried about how long I'd be able to hold them off solo. Leaping to a convenient pedestrian overpass, I surveyed the slowly moving horde as they turned toward my position in unison. "Too bad you don't have any elephants in your parade," I chided with a _tsk tsk_. "That really makes-"

I cut myself off at the last minute and dove to the side, my feline hearing picking up the odd sound of lethargic flapping. Flattened against the paver stones, I felt something graze the back of my costume and immediately rolled sideways. A squadron of Gummy Bats had appeared out of nowhere, the first wave of which I'd just narrowly avoided. The second were preparing to dive bomb me.

Quickly, I scampered across the bridge on all fours, partially laughing at the insanity that a _cat_ was running from a _bat_. But there we were. As my ears tracked the incoming bats, my eyes fell upon where the bridge began to slope back down to street level and saw more of those squirmy sour worms working their way toward me. I leapt up and somersaulted over the edge of the bridge, stabbed the extended baton into a girder and rolled around it before shooting out and across the gummy bears below me. Repeating an earlier move, I bounced from head to head, narrowly avoiding their sticky grasp, and actually made some forward progress toward BonBon.

"Sooner or later, someone always gets to the center of the lollipop," I said, somersaulting once more and landing in a relatively clear spot. Two more rows of bears were between me and BonBon, and I snapped open my baton to check on Ladybug. The glowing bug logo was several blocks away and still moving in the wrong direction, so that meant more distraction and less confrontation.

Extending the baton again, I took a massive swipe and tried to take out several bears together; this time, though, they had learned their lesson, and more piled on. Instead of throwing _them_, my baton acted as if it had hit a solid wall, and sent _me_ flying up and over. I'd tried to keep a paw on the baton, but despite the potential adhesive properties of the sugary, sticky mess all over it, simple physics slid it out of my grasp. I sailed over them and landed upside down and face first in something soft.

Trying to push myself up, my paws sank up to my elbows in gummy; I pulled as hard as I could, but only managed to free my ring hand; the other sank further into the sticky mess. Using my toes to try and press myself out only resulted in my boots becoming similarly mired. Blood rushing to my head from my orientation, I found myself growling again, more in anger that I'd let myself get caught.

I turned my head up as much as I could and found I'd landed in a multicolored gummy spider web, complete with one extra large, purple gummy spider working its way toward me. "I once told another spider that cats weren't on their menu," I said, fruitlessly trying to free myself. "I would assume that's still true."

Twisting around again, I could see my baton was still stuck in the pile of gummies fifteen or so meters from me. Of all the times not to have voice activated commands. Well, I had _one_, strictly speaking, but I wasn't desperate enough to use it quite yet. I twisted back, and the purple spider had nearly crossed the web to me.

I re-evaluated. The possibility of being eaten by a gummy spider would be enough to push me toward using Cataclysm. For I _definitely _wanted to survive this - _needed_ to survive this; Ladybug and I had a lot to discuss once we'd cleared this akuma. Idly, I wondered how she was going to react once she learned who was beneath the Chat mask. Would she be surprised? Or would she feel the same as me, somehow having known all along?

I was betting on the latter.

The spider was almost within striking distance, and, from what I could see, it was _drooling._ I sighed. Why was it always me? It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that I just rushed in headlong without thinking things through, could it? I shook my head as much as I could. Nah. Calling on my power, I held up my hand, feeling the darkness tingling in my palm. I touched the spider's web, and both I and the spider crashed to the street below.

I landed in a roll diving around the corner, and dropping my transformation. I fed Plagg the last of my cheese reserve, and decided a strategic watch and wait might be better. After Plagg inhaled his camembert, I leapt to the roof of a low building, and worked my way to a decent vantage point, both to keep an eye on BonBon and watch for reinforcements.

I checked my baton, which had handily reappeared when I retransformed, and saw not only Ladybug, but Carapace and Rena Rouge had appeared on my screen, and they were headed my direction. As they landed on my rooftop, I gave them a brief rundown of the fun I'd been having before they came. Carapace shuddered when I told him about the spider, the memory of his first battle against Anansi all too clear.

Asking Rena to cast an illusion of the four of them running down a side street in order to draw the bulk of the army of goo away from BonBon, Ladybug laid out her plan. Once Rena was leading the army away, we would get as close behind BonBon as we could, and Ladybug would call for her lucky charm. Using that, she'd grab the akumatized object, and I could cataclysm it. Cap would watch our backs, and shelter us from any squidgy sneak attacks.

The first part of the plan went off without a hitch. Most of the snakes and all of the bears followed the fake heroes away from BonBon. Being careful this time to avoid the webs we were able to get close to the akuma. Hiding behind a recently slimed vehicle, Ladybug called for her lucky charm, and that's when things began to get weird.

Reaching out to catch her lucky charm, a red and black spotted goat fell into Ladybug's outstretched arms. I looked at the goat in surprise, then looked back up at the sky, yelling a warning just in time for Carapace to pluck a goat from the air. Rena Rouge was the next to catch a goat and finally it was my turn. We all looked at each other in surprise, when I heard a panicked bleating coming from above. I dropped the goat in my arms, and dove to catch the fifth and final goat as it fell. Ladybug looked at me sheepishly (goatishly?). "I guess I should have grabbed Queen Bee, too."

Rena chuckled, more startled than anything, and looked at Ladybug. "Has this ever happened before? A living lucky charm?"

Ladybug nodded. "Not to me, but once I asked Tikki, my kwami, what the strangest lucky charm she'd ever created was. She told me one time she had created an elephant. The poor people of the time had never heard of such a creature, and had no way to care for it, although she didn't have the heart to de-create it, so, instead, she sent it to India. She was exhausted and ate non-stop for a week afterwards, but she said it was completely worth it. She also said that the odd coloring faded as soon as the miraculous cure occurred. I'm sure the same thing will happen with these cuties." Ladybug gestured at the goats who were already eating their way through BonBon's inner circle of guards, I made a mental note to offer to go home with Marinette and help her bake some cookies for her kwami. We did have a lot to talk about after all.

Diving into battle with the goats, I knocked as many gummy creatures out of the way as possible, while I saw Carapace to my left using his shield like a battering ram and taking out as many creatures as he could. Ladybug was stepping up to the confectioner, when a goat started tugging a paper bag from the akuma's belt. As the creature tore off a corner of bag and started chewing it, a deep purple butterfly fluttered out, along with a small trail of gummy candies. Ladybug did her normal purification of the akuma, sending the white butterfly off to wherever it had come from.

I watched her hesitate to perform the miraculous cure, and I didn't blame her. I wouldn't really want to be the one throwing a goat up into the air, either. She scratched the head of the goat who had chomped on the akumatized item, cooing at it, and thanking it for the help it and it's friends had provided. I have to admit that I was getting a little jealous of the attention she was paying the goat, when she hefted it, and tossed it into the air, watching an eruption of red beetles erupt, not from the goat, but from her outstretched palms. The beetles first circled the airborne goat, and it's companions, turning them brown before whisking them away, to an unknown location, the rest of the city being cleansed in their wake.

The four of us exchanged a fistbump, before Ladybug left to gather our companion's miraculous. I leaned close to her, breathing in that cinnamon and vanilla scent, that I just now realized both girls shared, telling her I would be by later, because we really needed to talk.

Later felt like forever. Plagg had threatened to cataclysm me if I kept pacing in my room, ranting and panicking, any longer. What if she didn't like me as Adrien? It wasn't completely unrealistic. She always was a mess around my non-super self - the stuttering, blushing, and awkwardness all signs of something odd.

As the day faded to night, I could barely contain myself anymore, yelping for Plagg to transform me before bursting through my window. I had to talk to Marinette. Now.

Running over the rooftops gave me a little clarity - calming the thundering heartbeat in my chest. I still wasn't exactly sure how to approach this whole thing. Bakery in view, I slowed down, willing myself to be still even though I felt as eaten all the gummies from the day and was in the midst of a full out jitter inducing sugar rush.

There she was. Standing on the balcony above the bakery. How many times had I visited her there as a friend not knowing that she was my lady?

With a soft thump, I landed behind her on the chimney. She didn't move from her spot, leaning on the railing and casually looking over the city but I knew that she could tell I was there. Carefully, I slid my feet to the floor and stood up to my full height.

"Hey," I called, my own voice sounding strange. She turned finally, looking at me with a soft smile.

"Hi Kitty." Out of everything that I'd been trying to do to calm myself down all afternoon, that was the one that I'd needed. My whole body responded to her soft voice, the jitters smoothing out and my heart resuming it's natural rhythm.

Taking a deep breath, I dropped my transformation - a brilliant green light in the darkness. She winced slightly before she shielded her eyes from the light. There was a pause before she pulled her hands away and looked at me.

"Adrien." It wasn't shock. It wasn't surprise. It was just a breath - like as if everything finally fit together. She smiled again and I smiled back. "Marinette."

This was how it was meant to be.

"I have a question," she said, and I wondered why she suddenly looked like she was up to no good, a twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes. A crinkle of plastic accompanied the motion of her hand as she held something out to me.

"Want a gummy bear?"


	20. Crushes

**Day 20: Crushes**

_Lyra: Today, our fearless heroes face off against a unique villain who seems to have no effect on them. Except …. It does. For better? Or for worse?_

_Reminder though, we don't own Miraculous. Unless you guys have come up with another one of your brilliant mastermind plans?_

_CM: Actually, I do! I'm going to tell Mr. Astruc that I have a Crush! (It's Orange flavored)_

* * *

After a year of being superhero partners, Ladybug and Chat Noir had a routine both in and out of the suits - even if they didn't realize it.

Chat would flirt excessively but earnestly and Ladybug would gently turn him down with a reminder that her heart belonged to another. As Marinette, she would stutter and blush over Adrien who could only accept her as a dear friend since his affections lay elsewhere. Around and around they would dance, hopelessly chasing each other without even knowing it.

But as a team, they were in perfect sync, able to understand each other without a single word, moving in tandem to defeat their opponents.

Like today.

Shoulder to shoulder, they surveyed the scene below them, taking in the villian who seemed to be moving through the streets with a very intentional purpose. It was hard to see exactly who they were preparing to face off against. Instead of a human figure, it was more like a swirl, dashing out from its core and rushing around the people in its way. His victims would be left dizzy and blinking, but without any seemingly major change.

"You know, I feel like this one's going to be a breeze, Milady" quipped the cat, smirking at her with his usual over-confidence. A shake of her head was the only sign that she didn't appreciate his particular style of humour. Instead, she was busy puzzling over how could they find the akumatized item on something that didn't even really have a shape.

A silent nod to her partner sent them both into action. Chat, in his own typical fashion, rushing in to loudly engage and distract while Ladybug took a more subtle approach, observing and planning, approaching from behind.

"Hey Airhead!" Chat called out from his position in the path of the whirlwind. "I'm honestly blown away by your originality here. A mini tornado? Didn't feel like going for the full effect?"

The result of his taunting was as expected, a sharp burst of air thrown in his direction. Deftly tumbling out of the way, Chat reset himself to his feet, baton in grip.

"Look, I'm having a blast and all, but are you even a person? Or are you like a windstorm that is mad because you couldn't knock the leaves off the tree in your front yard." Ladybug did have to give the boy credit - his ability to pun on the fly was incredibly impressive, even if it was insanely annoying.

The cyclone seemed to morph, becoming the shape of a man. Ladybug desperately searched for a sign of where the Akuma could be as the villain made a step closer to her partner. Still nothing seemed obvious.

Moving in closer, Ladybug began to twirl her yo-yo in front of her like a shield. As an offensive, far-range weapon, it would never be useful in a battle like this. The string would simply slip right through. Instead she hoped she'd be able to stop the air blasts that he continued to shoot in Chat's direction while the hero ducked and dodged.

The Akuma must have seen her coming, unexpectedly turning a blast in her direction. The yo-yo didn't work, force of the gale pushing the spinning toy back to her, tangling it around her torso. The next blast knocked her sideways, slamming her against Chat. The boy had managed to brace himself in time, avoiding the danger of them both being sent to the ground. One arm wrapped around her to hold them steady while the other gripped tightly to his baton.

"Transpose." It was like a breath, this single word from the figure in front of them. The air around them shifted, whirlpooling against their bodies, hair flailing about as if caught in the middle of a storm. As quickly as it had began, it ended, leaving both heroes slightly dazed.

A whisper was all they heard as the man like figure dissipated into nothing, vanishing.

Chat and Ladybug looked at each other in confusion, blinking a bit as they tried to process all that had just happened. Uninjured, there didn't seem to be much purpose behind the villain's attack, other than to maybe mess up their hair.

Suddenly, though, Ladybug became acutely aware of her body pressed firmly against Chat's, his arm clamped around her tightly. A furious blush lit her cheeks as she jumped backwards with a mumbled apology, struggling with the string of her yo-yo that seemed determined to stay tangled around her. Chat reached out to help, but she brushed him away, the thought of his hands anywhere near her bringing her to near palpitations with her heart. Putting his hands up, he took a single step back and waited patiently for her to get settled.

Wrapping the string back into the slot of the toy, Ladybug took the opportunity to observe her partner through her eyelashes. Somewhere along the line, her partner had started to fill out - the gangliness of youth starting to change into the firmness of adulthood - and somehow had managed to gain on her in height. Had she never really noticed the lines of his face, the softness of his smile, the intensity of the green eyes that peered from the mask? Flashbacks to the blatant evidence of his kind and gentle heart pulsed through her mind, followed by all the romantic gestures he'd ever given her - pet names, roses, kisses pressed against her knuckles.

Her breath hitched, brain confused. When had she ever fallen for Chat Noir? She couldn't remember, but right now, she knew it was the truth.

"You ok?" he asked, giving her a strange look as she struggled to compose herself. She didn't trust herself to speak, instead nodding. Narrowing his eyes in an obvious sign of disbelief, he leaned back casually on his baton.

"The Akuma is gone. Should we go look for him?" With a smile, his hand reached out and she stared at it a moment before nervously taking it. Why did her heart feel like it was going to hammer itself out of her chest?

Trying to keep her thoughts from the boy in black cat ears that seemed to be unaware of his proximity to her personal space, she raced over the rooftops in search of their missing Akuma. He really did seem to have vanished - no trace of him anywhere either on their patrolling nor from the Akuma sighting alert system.

No longer needed as superheroes until the Transposer reappeared - a name they dubbed their wind-based enemy based on the word he'd said in his apparent attack - they decided to transform back and go about their day until there was another sighting. The brush of his arm against hers as he stood up from their perch on the tower left goosebumps.

Shaking herself back to sanity, she ran to the safety of an alleyway, dropping her transformation.

"What is going on, Tikki? I've never felt this way about Chat before. I'm so confused." Tikki just shrugged, cookie crumbs flying as she casually bit into her favourite treat. "Ugh. Ok… well… back to school, I guess." After Tikki was comfortable in her little pink purse, Marinette took off, racing back to the classroom and slid into her seat. Something had changed, but she wasn't quite sure what.

Chat, being Chat, opted to sail through the sky back toward Dupont in order to save time. Ladybug had been acting pretty strangely toward him, though truth be told, he was a little surprised at his own reaction to it. Chalking it up to the akuma, he circled around and landed on the rooftop of his school, trotting over to the edge of the courtyard roof to see if he had a clear pathway to the locker room.

What he saw instead made his heart race. Marinette was just coming through the main doors of the school, and was hurrying across the space of the courtyard toward the stairs leading to their classroom. The world narrowed to a fuzzy gauziness centered around his classmate; as if in slow motion, he watched her brush back a stray lock of hair with one hand, while repositioning her school books in the other. He'd never seen anything quite so amazing in his entire life. She. Was. Stunning.

Without even thinking, he turned tail and ran to the opposite edge of the roof, one plan in mind: he needed to see her, to talk to her. He tumbled over the edge and looped through the open window to their classroom, having timed his arrival nearly to the moment Marinette entered the space. The room was quiet given there were still a few minutes before the period started; oddly, Marinette was so focused on getting into her seat, she didn't hear his rubbery _thump_ of a landing.

Taking advantage of this, Chat stealthily crept up to the edge of her desk and slowly raised his head. "Purrincess," he said somewhat airily.

Marinette snapped back from the desktop and nearly shrieked. "Chat! Why are you here?" Her eyes darted toward the window. "Is the akuma back?"

"I have no idea," he said, pulling himself up and then, to her shock, hopped on top of her desk, laying on his side facing her. Twirling his tail in the hand he wasn't leaning against, he gave her his best Chat smile. "Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?" he asked. "I could lose myself in-"

"_Chat,_" she said tightly, eyes darting toward the clock. "You really shouldn't be here. Right. Now."

"It's fate, Purrincess," he smiled. "We were destined - ooof!"

Marinette had shoved him off the desk. Looking down at him, she said firmly, "I don't know what kind of catnip you've gotten into, but class is about to start!"

Looking bemused, Chat smiled wider. "Excellent point." He lithely managed to pop up close to her face - so close, she could smell the fresh air and promise of freedom that clung to his mane. She was surprised that a significant part of her was willing to drop everything and flee the room with him. "Can we meet later, though? Please?"

"Chat-"

"_Pawl_eese?" he gave her the big round feline eye treatment.

Sighing, she nodded. "At the Bakery? After school?"

He smiled and bounded out the window a fraction of a second before her classmates started to file in. Wondering what had gotten into her kitty, she also found herself a bit flustered at his attention. She'd actually found herself _wanting_ him to stay, knowing how crazy that was. When did that happen, exactly? And those eyes of his… the way the gold irises were offset by the emerald-

"Marinette? Are you okay?" This was from Ayla, who had apparently been trying to get her attention. Marinette had been so absorbed in her thoughts, she'd not seen the classroom fill.

_My GOD! I'm daydreaming about Chat._ "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, opening up her tablet and pointedly ignoring her best friend's stare of incredulity.

A moment later, Adrien appeared at his desk below her, smiling widely. "Marinette," he greeted, but with an edge she'd never heard in his voice before. She flashed a quick smile at him but immediately went back to thoughts of feline ears and the graceful movements of her partner. Why hadn't she noticed before? The way he held his body as he-

"_Marinette!_" Ayla hissed, snapping her back to the class. Looking up, the teacher was patiently waiting for the answer to the question she'd not heard. She groaned inwardly, realizing it was going to be a _very_ long afternoon.

Adrien was incapable of any thoughts other than those centering on Marinette; he found himself tapping his stylus against the desk and frequently checked the clock, counting down the minutes until he could escape the school once more. Chat Noir had a date that afternoon and he didn't want to be late.

Adrien was rushing down the front steps of the school when he heard his name. He'd texted his driver that he was working on a project, and wouldn't need to be picked up until later, and was planning on transforming in the closest alleyway and making a beeline (or was that a feline?) for the bakery. He turned to tell Nino that he was on a tight schedule, when he was Alya and Marinette standing next to him. Nino called, "Dude, where're you going? We're working on our group project in the library this afternoon!"

Shaking his head, Adrien walked back up the steps. "I knew I was running late, I just couldn't remember for what." Alya just smiled at him. "You've got too much on your plate, Sunshine!" Marinette just smiled at him looking distracted. At least he was still going to get to spend some time with her! He gazed fondly at the object of his affection as she turned and followed Alya back inside. He trotted along after them, nodding at what Nino was saying, but not hearing a word.

They sat in the library, gathering materials and dividing up the tasks. Alya called dibs on the historical research part,and Nino offered to help her, leaving Marinette and Adrien to do the modern day implications as well as creating any visual aids for them. Alya often worked with Nino when they were breaking down their group for projects, leaving him with Marinette, he just wished he had noticed how amazing she was sooner, so he could have taken advantage of their time together. He turned to see her chewing her lip, looking nervous.

Her voice rivaled choirs of angels when she spoke, and he hung onto every syllable. "I'm sorry Adrien. I messed up and double booked myself for this afternoon. Is there any way we could get together tomorrow to work on the project?"

Adrien pouted momentarily, until he realized that he was the one she was getting away to go see, only she didn't realize it. "O-of course!" He stuttered. "Did you want to meet back in the library after school?"

Shaking her head, she said, "We could, but I have more materials for visual aids at my house, so maybe meet in the library to gather any additional resources, and then we can go work in my room?"

Fighting the blush that threatened to stain his cheeks at that thought of working side by side with her in her bedroom, laughing with her on her bed. Leaning down to…he stopped that train of thought immediately, only to realize that Marinette was waiting for his reply. "Or the library is fine," she hastily added.

"No. No! We can go to your room. Will there be snacks?" He couldn't help but ask that last bit hopefully. "I'm sorry, I was daydreaming a bit. I think meeting in the library and then going to your house would be great. Then we could be all alone in your room. UH! I mean, nobody would bother us, and we could get a lot of work done!"

Laughing, Marinette patted his arm. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry that I have to dash off today. What's your favorite snack, I'll be sure to make it for you."

Adrien considered swooning, but thought it might not show him in his best light. "Favorite snack? Uh, I like pretty much everything from your bakery, but I have always wanted to try your passionfruit macarons. I've heard wonderful things about them."

Marinette lit up at the compliment, and Adrien couldn't help thinking just how adorable she looked when she was flustered, the pale pink making her freckles pop against her porcelain skin. With a little wave, she dashed out the door, and made a beeline for the bakery, barely stopping to check for traffic as she dashed across the street. Slamming through the front door she shouted a hello over her shoulder at her confused parents and dove, panting, through the trap door, into her room.

Dropping her backpack, she scrambled up the ladder to her bed, and pushed through her skylight onto the rooftop patio of the bakery. A few moments after she'd hauled herself up, she heard the thump of rubber soled boots landing on the railing, and she looked up to see Chat Noir gazing down at her.

He apologized for being late, and she waved it off, saying that she'd just arrived, herself. They stared at each other for a few long moments, before Chat reached out to tuck some loose hair behind her ears. Shuddering at his light touch, she stepped closer to him, as if pulled by the opposite pole of a magnet, her internal compass going haywire. Chat slid off the railing to stand in front of her, bodies barely touching. Marinette reached over, sliding her left hand into his right, their fingers interlocking, her free hand splayed against his chest. His left hand rested at her waist, as they drew inexorably closer, their breath intermingling, their eyes never straying from the other.

Neither had said a word since Chat had arrived, but they were just drawn together, unable to resist the pull of the other. Chat's eyes started to drift closed, and Marinette pushed up on her toes to close the distance between them. She'd never wanted anything as much as this kiss, this boy, her partner. Their lips were millimeters apart, slightly opened, anticipating the soft touch of the other, when they heard the scream from a few streets away, mere moments before the akuma alert chimed on Marinette's phone.

Almost growling with frustration, Chat took a step back. With a nod from Marinette, he bent and kissed the hand that was still intertwined in his, before releasing it and throwing himself off the balcony, and headed after Transposer.

Marinette blinked at his sudden disappearance, only vaguely aware of Tikki buzzing in front of her face anxiously. What had just happened?

A violent shake of her head refocused her attention back to her kwami.

"There's an akuma, Marinette! Get it together!"

Oh, right. Akuma. One more blink and transformation later, Ladybug was hurling herself after her partner to where the villain had reappeared. This time, they would need to be more careful with their attacks.

"Hey, Ladybug," smiled Chat as she approached. She felt a little confused about how he didn't throw in his usual over-dramatic nicknames and flirtatious poses, but smiled back. This whole thing was so perplexing, her brain hurt.

She would much rather be kissing this cat instead of fighting a gust of wind. He shot her a funny look and for one moment, she wondered if she'd actually said it out loud. A blush burnt across her cheeks and she looked away, screaming out "Lucky Charm" to cover the awkwardness that she suddenly felt.

Into her hands dropped an oversized fan. Sighing slightly, she mentally figured that if you could fight fire with fire, why not fight wind with wind. A nod at Chat, she jumped down to the street level and set up her fan. Chat seemed to know what to do right away, hopping into the way of their akumatized windstorm and taunting enough to make it follow him to the set up.

The minute the Akuma was in range, Ladybug flipped the switch and a high-powered gust of wind came barrelling out of the fan. The air around Transposer whirled, being pushed away from where he stood. Chat carefully perched himself on the top of the fan while Ladybug waited behind it. She panicked slightly that his tail would get wound up in the fan blades.

Transposer seemed determined to reach them, the wind from the fan forcing his tornado swirl to press back behind him, the image of his human self straining towards them. Ladybug finally saw something out of place as the humanoid form stepped forward - a strange lump around where a neck would be.

The arm of the Transposer was already reaching forward, his lips murmuring "Transpose" as he shot a blast from it. Chat tumbled off the top of the fan, crouching low as the machine blades ground to a halt with a screech before slowly starting to rotate in the opposite direction, drawing air in instead of blowing it out.

Moving quickly, Ladybug lunged forward, grabbing at the lump and feeling satisfied as her fingers closed around something solid. Giving it a hard yank, whatever it was came loose. A brief look at her hand revealed it to be a scarf of some kind.

"Chat!" she yelled, holding it above her head as it flapped desperately in the swirling wind. He was there in an instant, blackened hand pressing against the scarf. The butterfly escaped, wobbling slightly with the off-set of air. Ladybug caught it smoothly, and released it again, now white and clean.

Chat comforted the man at their feet while Ladybug turned off the fan.

"She didn't love me," the man sobbed. "I wanted her to love me." Chat pat him on the shoulder in understanding, before guiding him to a waiting ambulance for care.

Her earrings beeped. Pulling her hand back from the fan, she turned quickly to her partner, heart thundering in her chest.

He caught her unexpectedly as she threw herself at him, lips pressing against his, arms wrapped around his neck. His eyes flew open, arms loose against her back.

"Ladybug!" he gasped as she pulled away, a crimson flush covering every inch of her face that was visible. "What? I - You-." Apparently rational thought wasn't a possibility right now. She shrugged sheepishly.

"Sorry Kitty. I couldn't help it anymore." She leaned in so only he could hear. "We were going to kiss earlier on my balcony anyway."

With a wink, she grabbed the fan and tossed it into the air, releasing her ladybugs in a rush. They swirled around her in a tickling motion, leaving her somewhat breathless.

Everything back to normal, she dared to look at her partner who now stood dumbfounded at her. She probably shouldn't have kissed him, and she definitely shouldn't have given him that clue about who she was.

Her earrings beeped their last warning, so she smiled at him and threw her yo-yo to escape.

The sound of footsteps behind her as she slipped into the alleyway on the other side of the house startled her. It was too late to hide her transformation now - the pink glow turning her back into Marinette. A black gloved hand grabbed at her wrist, pulling her close. Chat's green eyes glowed down at her.

"Marinette," he breathed a moment before his lips found hers again, the chirping of his ring all but forgotten. Coming up for air, they pressed their foreheads against each other as the world vanished. Her arms slithered around his neck, pulling him back to her. Even the flash of his own transformation didn't phase them, although her eyes widened considerably as they took their next breath break.

"Adrien?" she gasped, and he smirked before he captured her lips again.

"You know. I think Transpose's power was to reverse people's feelings for each other," he explained as they broke to catch their breath again. "I was so busy being in love with Ladybug that I never noticed you, Marinette. And I bet that you never gave Chat a chance because you cared for me."

The blush that broke on her cheeks was wonderful. He chuckled, knowing he was right.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me," she growled, yanking his lips back to hers.

After a year and a bit of being superhero partners, Ladybug and Chat Noir had a new routine - kisses before kicks. And out of the suit, Adrien and Marinette just grinned at each other a whole lot.


	21. A Rose

July 21: A Rose

_Author's Note: What is a rose, by any other name? Chat is pretty sure that would be Ladybug, but given her track record with flowers (especially tulips), he's been a bit wary presenting her with the symbol of true love. But to celebrate their time together as a couple, he takes a chance. ChubbyUnicornMama and Epcot97 are the duo keeping Chat on his toes this time out._

_By the way, sending roses to ZAG didn't net us _Miraculous. _We did get a nice letter back, though. Turns out, they are allergic to our overtures._

_CM: Ep, I _told _you to send tulips. They are wonderful for mind control..._

_Ep: Just as an aside, I find the tulips we've created for these little adventures just as creepy as the gummy spiders we came up with. I can't walk down the candy aisle or visit the floral department in my local grocery store any more!_

_Lyra: Hazards of the job, Ep._

* * *

Chat pressed himself into the shadows, trying to become one with the wall, and wondering how that evening could go any further off the rails. His feline ears twitched and he immediately shot into the air, narrowly avoiding becoming entrapped by the yo-yo; hooking a claw over the edge of the wall, he scampered across the darkened pedestrian walkway as fast as he could go, mindful that he had to both stay ahead of her, but stay within range to track her.

She'd started a maniacal cackling now, which made it arguably easier for him to know where she was, but it also set his teeth on edge. Up he leapt once more, looping around a light post to launch himself into helicopter mode with his baton, he rose higher to try and draw her toward the rooftops of Paris. He heard the _ziing_ of the yo-yo as it sailed into the air behind him, and was pretty sure he could also detect her muttering whispers of her affection to him on the light wind.

It was _supposed_ to be a night of celebration. They were graduating in a few weeks, closing the chapter on their time in high school, and preparing to heading off to college together that fall. But they were also celebrating their time as a true couple; they'd been partners far longer, of course, but had known their secret identities since the initial tulip disaster three years earlier.

Chat landed on the smooth tile and ran quickly across the roof to launch himself back into the air; he felt the yo-yo brush his tail as it flapped behind him, so he curled into a tuck and shot down into the alley.

He'd wanted to do something special, and had decked out their favorite dining spot overlooking the Seine with his usual repertoire of dozens of rose petals, candles and comfy pillows. Generally he stuck with rose petals, wary of exposing his partner needlessly to pollen of any kind, but as he scurried around Paris as Adrien, making his final preparations for their dinner, he'd happened by a street vendor selling an amazingly beautiful rose he'd never seen before. Adrien had quickly bought a dozen of the strangely vibrant flowers and the vendor had arranged them with several other complementary flowers into a bouquet tied with a pink ribbon. He'd added them to the basket of supplies he later carried to the rooftop as Chat.

The powerfully pungent fragrance of the roses had masked the other flowers in the bouquet from Chat, though as he narrowly avoided another shot from Ladybug's yo-yo, if he'd not been so focused on ensuring the evening was purrfect, he well may have detected the tulips the vendor had woven into the bouquet. He frowned, remembering her amazing smile as he'd kissed her and then handed her the bundle; she'd put it to her face to take in the fragrance.

Her metamorphosis had happened nearly instantaneously - one moment, she was Ladybug, the next, she was this crazed creature, wild eyed and intent on capturing her beloved. Chat had nearly no time to react to the shift in persona and had barely made it off the rooftop unscathed. Chat furvently hoped the hickey she'd planted on his cheek would go away after he de-transformed, but doubted it highly.

The world was full of light and color. Ladybug's heart was full of joy. She couldn't be still. She had to be out in the world, laughing and dancing, twirling to show the giddiness she felt inside. Joy. Everything in Ladybug's world was beautiful.

There was one dark spot. He was currently doing his best to hide from her. Vaguely she wondered if they were playing a game. She just wanted to thank him for the beautiful flowers he had given her. That thought triggered something in the back of her mind, but when she caught movement in her peripheral vision, she forgot about it. Chat.

Chat had cornered himself in an alley, not realizing there was only one entrance. He leaned to peer around the pile of boxes he had been hiding behind, and saw Ladybug, facing off to the side, paused as if in deep thought. He ducked back behind the boxes. Ten seconds later he went to lean out again, only to discover Ladybug directly in front of him.

Ladybug was a little surprised. Chat was standing, but she was able to look him straight in the eyes. She glanced down and realized that she was hovering about a foot off the ground. Her antennae quivered, and that's when that little voice in the back of her head made itself heard. _Tulips. _She looked up at Chat, eyes wild, her normal self taking hold momentarily. "Tulips" she gasped at him, before shoving the bouquet that she still carried into his arms, and turning around to run out of the alley.

The more distance she put between herself and the flowers, the more like herself she felt. The first few steps had been torture, the smell of the tulips pulling her back, telling her to roll and frolic and share their promise of a brighter world. Once she pushed past the immediate scent, the wind whipping her face, the cool reality of it stabilizing her, bringing her back down from her flower-high.

She landed on the roof they had started on, and after visually checking for any further flowers, Ladybug took a breath. No pollen. Sighing with relief, she leaned back against the sun baked brick of the chimney, that was still slowly releasing its heat. Dropping her transformation, ridding herself of antennae and wings as well as spots and mask, Marinette curled up on the picnic blanket that Chat had set up, energy drained. She reached out to grab something to eat, bringing it to her lips and biting mechanically.

That was where Chat found her, ten minutes later, curled up, a sandwich with a single missing bite clenched in her hand. He smiled down at Marinette, kissing her temple, and sat next to her, stroking her hair.

When Marinette next opened her eyes, she was tucked in bed, fully clothed, apart from her shoes, a single red rose resting next to her on the pillow.


	22. True Love's Kiss

July 22: True Love's Kiss

_Author's Note: Epcot97 here with the finale from the _Oblivio _chapter that appeared on July 17. Now that Ladybug knows the identity of Chat's alter-ego, she's rather coyly decided that he's going to have to string together enough clues to figure out who's under the polka-dotted mask. Clearly she has underestimated how curiosity drives this Chat._

_CM: In the name of science, we have a question for our readers: is the ability to purr something that you look for in a partner? Please let us know! (My answer is yes!)_

_Lyra: As long as he's not knocking things off the shelves, purring is optional. _

_Ep: By the way, Chat has told me that if I let him figure out who Ladybug is within the first two paragraphs, he'll guarantee us an ownership stake in _Miraculous_. What do you guys think?_

_CM: Ep, he said that he will owe us a shake from _Miraculous.

* * *

So, clearly, he knew Ladybug in her civilian form.

That much had been easy to deduce from his surprise reveal to Ladybug. Staring at the pile of cardboard still bundled up next to his boot, he kept mentally returning to what had happened, and how his world had shifted in the last five minutes. He'd always loved Ladybug; knowing that she returned his affections had his pulse racing and was making it insanely difficult to think through the puzzle she'd neatly handed him.

_I know who she is,_ he thought to himself. _Except, I don't._

Tucking the cardboard under an arm for no other reason than to have a reminder of what transpired, he leapt from the business tower and sailed downward into lower altitudes and his normal rooftop running path toward the mansion.

_The most obvious conclusion is that she goes to my school. And if I've talked to her about Father, she's someone I interact with regularly._ He smirked a bit at that, for as popular as Adrien was with his classmates, it was more due to his status as a famous supermodel than anything else - a harsh lesson he had learned early. He could only count maybe three people as true friends; four, if he allowed the definition to be elastic enough to include Chloe.

He smiled grimly at that last thought as he bounded over an alleyway. _Chloe would love to be Ladybug. But fortunately, I can cross her off the list - she is quite publicly Queen Bee. _Chat couldn't contemplate Ladybug doing a double-fake on him and donning both identities.

Especially since he was reasonably sure the persona he saw as Ladybug was really her; to be sure, Chat was an expression of who Adrien _wanted_ to be, and certainly was able to do and say things that Adrien couldn't. But at his core, Chat was very much Adrien. He had to believe the same was true for Ladybug.

Landing fairly close to the mansion, he paused to think a bit more beneath the stars. It was growing later, and that Physics midterm still loomed, but he felt like he needed a plan of action when he arrived at Dupont in the morning. Pacing, he idly twirled his tail as he thought; if he narrowed it down to his three core friends, only two were girls. That was a reasonable place to start, and smiling slightly, he leapt back into the early morning darkness to try and sneak in a catnap prior to breakfast.

After breakfast, Adrien managed to talk Nathalie into letting him "walk" to school. Dashing past Gorilla, he ducked into an alleyway close to the mansion and transformed to Chat Noir; he'd had an early morning epiphany that his extra senses as Chat might come in handy in the hunt for his lady. Sailing as fast as he could over the skyline, he arrived at Dupont far earlier than normal and took up position behind the facade of the school. Working with Ladybug had taught him the power of observing first, then leaping in; he found himself smirking a bit when he realized he might just be turning her lessons against her.

Peeking over the edge, and trying to flatten out his feline ears to avoid detection, his masked green eyes scanned his classmates as they trundled in for the day. He wasn't yet sure what he was looking _for_, exactly, so he soaked up every detail and filed it away for later analysis.

Chat watched as Chloe arrived in her limo; Sabrina appeared from nowhere and joined her as they walked up the steps. Kim came running around the corner, still wearing his swim cap from early morning practice at the pool. Juleka, head down, appeared to be talking to no one in particular. Max appeared from the Metro, tapping away at something on his tablet.

Nothing extraordinary yet. Chat tried not to yawn, and quickly stretched a bit to loosen up.

Peeking over once more, he watched another limo pull up and Kagami stepped out. That made him raise a masked eyebrow; she'd been akumatized twice now, and had been a tough villain to fight off. But her athletic prowess was also equal to anything he'd seen Ladybug perform. Squinting, he tried to picture her in a red-and-black polka-dotted costume, and surprisingly thought it might work. Her civilian personality didn't really sync up, though; then again, as freeing as Chat Noir was for him, the same might be true with Kagami and Ladybug.

It was worth considering. He added her to his list for followup.

His baton buzzed at him, reminding him that first period started in less than fifteen minutes. Chat smiled, knowing that more of his targeted quarry would appear right… about… now.

He finally caught sight of two-thirds of his inner circle as they rounded the corner and headed for Dupont. Ayla and Nino were walking slowly, hand in hand and head to head with eyes only for each other. Chat found himself smiling: it was obvious that the two of them were matched purrfectly. But then he frowned: Ladybug had told him there was someone else on multiple occasions. Masked eyes widening, he realized that Nino might be the other guy - _if_ Ayla were Ladybug. He squinted at her as she came up the steps to the school. Could she wear the polka-dotted mask? Chat couldn't be sure, but he did know he'd talked about his family life with both her and Marinette. Watching Nino gently kiss Ayla as they entered the school, though, he had a hard time believing that if Ayla _were_ Ladybug, she'd break Nino's heart to be with Chat. And Chat would never let her do it to his best friend.

But he'd follow up on that thread, too.

His baton buzzed again. There was one last person he wanted to observe, and as usual, she was running late; if he wasn't careful, Adrien was likely to be equally as late (despite having left the mansion early). For some reason, just thinking about Marinette brought a warm smile to his feline visage. Knowing which direction she should be appearing, he took one last look before hesitantly backing away from the facade and scampering toward the far edge of the school.

And then he came up short, for his feline vision had seen a brilliant red flash from the alleyway he'd planned on using for his de-transformation.

_An akuma! _he thought, shifting directly into battle mode. _So much for being on time!_

Chat leapt into the air and hurled himself over the edge, dropping into the alleyway in a crouch, his baton at the ready. He found not the latest akuma from Hawkmoth, but a rather rattled Marinette, who was staring at him as if he'd grown a second head while clutching her purse defensively in front of her. "Chat Noir! Do you always make an entrance like that?"

"Purrincess?" he said, nonplussed. _Where was the akuma? And how did she get in here? I didn't see her arrive. _He kept to his crouch and circled Marinette. "Stay behind me," he ordered. "I saw-"

"Chat, it's just me," she said. "Well, technically, us. There's no one else here."

Chat continued to circle, carefully keeping Marinette behind him, but she was right: the alley was empty save for them. Standing carefully, he looked at her askance. "Let me escort you to the door, then?" he asked. "Just to convince myself you're safe?"

"I'm _fine_," she said, exasperated. "Seriously, kitty, I don't know what's gotten into you."

"Humor me," he said, smiling as he extended a paw.

Reluctantly, she took it and they walked around to the front. Chat bit back the burning question of _why_ she had been in the alley; he'd instead tacked it onto the list of things needing further investigation. The sly smile on his face, though, belied the fact that he had just narrowed down his list of prospects by quite a bit.

Marinette appeared not to notice and, after thanking him for his needless but appreciated gallantry, dashed across the courtyard for class. Chat paused a moment longer before disappearing back to the same alleyway to finally change back to Adrien.

He arrived in the classroom and managed to slide into his seat just as the final bell rang out. Adrien smiled at Marinette, not the model version, but something closer to what Chat might use when visiting her at the Bakery. She seemed to catch the difference as a slight red flush highlighted her cheekbones.

Another notch went into his mental checklist.

As they changed periods and entered the science lab for their Physics midterm, he decided to carefully poke around the edges with his friend. Taking their seats, he casually said to Marinette: "I never found the tail, you know."

"Tail?" she replied distractedly. She had a pencil in her mouth and was fishing around for something in her backpack.

"Yeah. I had everything else - mostly. It looks like I might have accidentally shredded the helmet with my claws."

"That's too bad," she said, still looking for something. "It was kind of cute."

Adrien hid his smile. "It was, wasn't it?" he replied as the teacher handed out the exam.

The test drained every last brain cell he had and then some, but Adrien felt pretty confident he had aced it. Packing up for lunch, he saw Marinette's fuzzy expression and pounced. "Bit of a tough one, wasn't it?" he said. "Can I buy you lunch? We can commiserate over pot pie."

She looked at him and smiled. "Sure!"

"Okay, meet on the sidewalk in ten," he smiled back, intentionally vague about _who_ would be there.

Ten minutes on the mark, Chat Noir dropped down beside Marinette on the sidewalk. "Purrincess," he smiled.

"Chat," Marinette replied, a knowing gleam appearing in her eye. "Are you joining us for lunch, too?" she asked sweetly.

"It depends," he said, putting a claw tip to his chin as they started walking toward the Bakery together. "Do you think Ladybug can join us? I'd hate to eat without her."

"That might be able to be arranged," she said, pausing as they came up on the Metro station.

Marinette paused on the sidewalk and turned back toward Chat. His wide emerald eyes locked onto hers, and she reached up to brush away a bang that had fallen into his face. "Why don't you wait right here while I let her know where we're going for lunch?" she said, smiling a somewhat crafty smile.

"As you wish, Princess," he bowed.

She trotted toward the entrance to the metro and Chat watched as she took the steps two at a time, disappearing into the darkness below. Well aware of the trick she was about to employ (having used it a few times himself), he vaulted across to the exit from the Metro, then leapt up to the top of a lamppost nearby, perching, cat-like, atop the ornamental filigree. Intently, his masked green eyes watched the steps.

He was rewarded by seeing the yo-yo come zipping out of the exit to wrap itself on the crossarm next to him; Ladybug was right behind it, executing a perfect loop-de-loop into a drop a meter or so away from where he was waiting. "I thought I told you to wait over there," Ladybug said, inclining her head to where they had been standing on the sidewalk.

Chat smiled. "And when was the last time I followed your instructions to the letter?"

"Point taken," she laughed.

"And this was a better place to _hang_ out anyway. I knew my partner my get _loopy _on me, and I wanted to make sure I had the best _line_ on her."

Rolling her eyes, Ladybug groaned as she deftly walked down the crossarm to where Chat was waiting. His tail was twitching expectantly as she approached. "Nicely done, kitty," she said approvingly.

"I don't like to brag," he said, his smile widening, "but I _am _pretty good at solving mysteries."

"I know," she said as she leaned up against the post he was sitting on. "It's why I keep you around."

His eyes narrowed. "Through the heart, Milady," he mewled, holding a paw to his chest dramatically.

"It's pretty big," she said with a trace of seriousness as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I think it could take a hit and still have plenty of room for me inside."

Chat nodded, his blonde mane swirling with the motion. "I've been in love with you since day one," he reminded her. "I wish I'd been able to convince you of that sooner." He reached an arm around her protectively, and she felt his tail snake around her waist. Emerald eyes searched hers. "You _do _love me, don't you?"

She could tell he looked a bit worried - that he was somewhat unwilling to believe this moment was taking place. Ladybug wasn't certain what she could say to convince him.

But she knew what she could do.

Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips to his. She could see his eyes fly open in shock, and he had tensed up slightly - enough that had he been anyone other than Chat, they might have tumbled off the top of the lamppost. Ladybug pressed firmer, and felt him respond to her touch; first, tentatively, then with an unrepressed urgency that reminded her they had _both _been waiting for this moment for a very long time. It was _the _kiss, true love's kiss, sealing the unspoken promise they were making to each other.

The rational part of her brain was screaming that the top of a lamppost might not be the best place, romantically speaking, but her heart didn't care. If the Parisans passing by below _had _bothered to look up, it would likely confirm what they had already assumed had been the case.

Chat lived inside the moment for an eternity, utterly happy to reconcile the notion that his friend was also his partner - and now likely much more. He held her as close as he could given they were perched five meters above the sidewalk, parting slightly only when they both needed to come up for air. He ran a claw through her hair, and she caught his delighted expression as it grazed the ribbons tying back a ponytail. Tempted, he gave one a slight tug only to have her playfully swat him away. "Later, kitty," she smiled.

"Is that a purromise, Milady?" he asked, eyes gleaming wickedly. "If so, I intend to hold you to it."

She laughed as she put her head into his chest. "I don't doubt it. Now," she said with a trace of disappointment, "we really should get some lunch. Class starts in a bit."

His masked emerald eyes continued to dance with merriment. "What if I cat-burgle two chicken pot pies from a certain Bakery and then catnap you for the afternoon instead?"

Ladybug's eyes went wide. "Are you _actually_ suggesting that the two Heroes of Paris play hookey?"

"Plagg may be rubbing off on me," he replied. "I'm helpless under his influence," he added, batting his eyes at her.

"Puh-lease," she laughed.

"Okay, how about this. I have a photo shoot this afternoon. Why don't you come to the set with me? I'll tell Nathalie you need to… tutor me… for tomorrow's History midterm." He narrowed his eyes at her. "She won't be able to refuse me," he added, purring and rubbing his face against her head. "Nor can you."

Ladybug laughed - he was right; that damn purring of his had toasted her resolve. How did he do that, anyway? "Fine," she laughed. "But we _stick_ to History."

"As you wish, Purrincess," he intoned, that wicked gleam back in his masked emerald eyes.

She rolled her eyes. "That's what I'm afraid of."


	23. Blindsided

**Day 23: Blindsided**

_Authors' Note: Chat… well, Chat screwed up. And it's a trainwreck. One of those things you cannot avert your eyes from. Guess it's a good thing Ladybug doesn't have those 3 kids. _

_Hey, guys. What if Ladybug DOES have three kids? CM, Ep and Lyra. Do you think that angle could get us closer to owning the rights to Miraculous?_

* * *

Ladybug froze, her eyes staring at her partner in muted horror. How dare he do this to her right now?

Slowly, she let herself take in the expressions of the other people in the room. Most of them were eager and excited, like they were waiting with bated breath for her response to the question that Chat had just spilled out. On national television. Unexpectedly.

His own face was full of extreme hope and a hint of sheepishness, as he knelt on one knee in front of her, holding her hand. He was ridiculously cute.

"Fine." Her shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. "Yes."

He let out a whoop and holler, jumping to his feet and hugging her close. Cheers filled the room.

Nadja Chamack was the first to comment, probably because they were on her show in the middle of an interview.

"Well, people of Paris, you've heard it her first. Ladybug said yes! They are going on a date!"

Ladybug barely managed to suppress her groan.

A date! She'd said yes to a date! Chat could hardly contain the excitement he felt as he bounded over the city rooftops when the interview was over. It had been a calculated risk to ask her out in the middle of live television but it seemed worth it. And now that she'd said yes….. He grinned wildly.

Crashing into his room and dropping his transformation, he jumped up and down on his bed.

"She said yes, Plagg!"

Plagg didn't seem nearly as excited.

"Great. A date. What's the plan, kid? Take off the masks and go to dinner somewhere? Go fight an akuma together?" The cat kwami popped some camembert cheese into his mouth and chomped on it loudly. "You could always take her some cheese."

Adrien stopped jumping. Panic filled his eyes.

"Oh no. I need to plan a date. For LADYBUG!" He collapsed onto the mattress with a strangled noise. Plagg just snickered to himself, muttering about the benefits of a love affair with cheese.

Adrien lay there for a minute, realizing that he really did know nothing about dating. Anime definitely hadn't prepared him for this. When he'd tried to go out on a date with Kagami, Marinette had suggested ice skating.

Marinette! She'd have some good ideas!

Noting that Plagg had eaten enough cheese, he called for his transformation and bounded back out the window to ask his friend for some dating advice.

Marinette was livid. She wanted to wring that cat's neck. Not only had he asked her out, _again_, he'd done it on live, national TV, so if she turned him down, for whatever reason, she was the bad guy. She also hoped that Hawk Moth didn't watch television, although she was fairly certain that clip was already going viral on social media, and she was 100% certain that Alya had put it on the Ladyblog, although she refused to look. She refused to look at any of it. Alya had left her a happy, squealing voicemail immediately after Ladybug had said yes to Chat. Marinette texted back, saying she felt sorry for Ladybug being conned into a relationship like that. Alya had tried calling again, but Marinette hadn't answered it.

She was just starting to calm down, not that she'd forgiven him, but that she was fairly certain that she wouldn't push him off a building the next time they saw each other, when she heard the thump of rubber soled boots on her patio that heralded the arrival of Chat Noir. Sure enough, a knock came on her skylight. She ignored it. The knock came again, and she refused to turn around, or look up.

The third time he knocked, he called her name as well. This time she turned, and leveled him with a glare that could have pushed him off the roof itself with the weight of its malice. Chat Noir stumbled back, shocked at the anger he saw on Marinette's face. Thinking back, he tried to recall if he'd ever seen her angry. He'd seen her frustrated with Lila plenty of times, but she now looked like she wanted to hurt someone.

When she finally emerged onto her rooftop, she said in a completely flat voice, "What do you want, Chat Noir?"

He looked hurt at her tone, but still tried to reach out. "Who has hurt you, Marinette? Do you need any help taking care of them?" He tapped his baton into his palm.

She gave him a disgusted look. "You really have no idea, do you?" She asked, with a note of shocked wonder in her voice.

"What are you talking about?"

"You, Chat. The way you blindsided Ladybug today. You trapped her into saying she would go on a date with you. She could be happily married. Ladybug and her wife could have three kids and a hamster, but SHE would look like the bad guy if she said no to you on live TV. Whatever the circumstances of her personal life, you made it so that if she said no, her job would become more difficult. People would harass her for turning you down."

Chat thought she was winding down, but it turned out she was just pausing for air. "Another thing, did you even consider the fact that you have now made things more dangerous for the two of you. By having the general public KNOW that you are dating, rather than just assume, you have also given that information to Hawk Moth, and shown him your weakness. Now he can try to target you individually and use one of you as a hostage against the other."

Steamrolling right over any objection Chat might have tried to make, she kept going. "And what exactly do you know about each other? Is she 13 or 30? Would you be putting her in a compromising position by dating you? An illegal one? You, Chat, were being a bully, and I cannot stand bullies. So, please, tell me. Why exactly are you on my roof?"

Chat blushed as red as his partners suit, and mumbled something. When he was asked to repeat it, he looked at the ground, unable to meet Marinette's eyes. "I, uh, I came for dating advice." His voice trailed off until the last word was barely more than a whisper, but it was enough. Marinette heard, and looked at him in a way that bespoke deepest disappointment and disgust. Without dignifying his statement with a response, she turned and dropped back down into her bedroom, bolting the skylight behind her with a little more force than was necessary.

Marinette sat on her bed, shaking with emotion, tears running down her cheeks until she heard slow footsteps make their way to the railing, and she glanced up in time to see Chat, ears flat against his head and tail drooping, head back out into the night.

* * *

Chat didn't return to the mansion. Instead, he randomly started prowling the night, feeling as though the moonless starry evening was reflective of his mood. He'd gone to Marinette for advice, and sure had received two feline earfuls. While it had somewhat surprised him how vigorously Marinette sprang to defend Ladybug, when viewing his actions from her perspective, he did understand that his partner may have only accepted his request as it had been the prudent option.

What hurt more, perhaps, was Marinette's perception that he'd cornered Ladybug (well, that was partially true, wasn't it?) or that he was in any form a bully. He felt the same as Marinette on that point, detested anyone who'd browbeat another. How many times had he stepped in, both as Adrien and as Chat, to protect someone from just that sort of situation - the very one Marinette was accusing him of creating? He was decidedly unhappy to have suddenly been placed into that category himself. Chat's motivation had been pure, driven by his love for Ladybug and desire that she see it for what it was, but he'd quite clearly misplayed his hand.

Soaring through the night over an alleyway, he helicoptered across another to land on a building overlooking the broad Trocadero plaza. Part of him laughed that he'd defaulted to that location when all others were unpalatable; they'd fought too many akumas in this space to count, perhaps owing to the space or it's general landmark status. Still, the night was peaceful, and he sat down on the angled tile and watched the lights flicker along the spine of the Eiffel Tower.

The very thought that he'd put Ladybug into an untenable situation hollowed him out. What was worse, the movie from which he'd plucked the idea to propose on live television had ended with the happy couple getting married; it was exactly the sort of romance he craved and had just assumed it would work with Ladybug. Once more, he'd found out his experience in all matters of love was seriously lacking. Hollywood appeared to have as much magic as his Miraculous.

Ears drooping further, he pulled his baton out just to have something to hold and started to toss it from paw to paw. With Ladybug not answering her Bug Phone, he had no way to apologize for his actions, something he clearly saw he needed to do. Idly, he did wonder if she were already married; that thought had him flushing slightly, for despite his flirting, the underlying gentleman within him would never have presumed to pursue her in such a situation.

The very fact that he _didn't _know her marital status, though, underscored the core of his problem: Ladybug had kept to her Golden Rule for superheroes and had deflected any attempt by Chat to get to know her. He had no idea what her favorite color was, for crying out loud, though, he supposed, a few things _had_ trickled out over their time together. She loved sweets; that much was certain.

A cold wind blew up and rustled his blond mane, and he could smell something wonderful being cooked in the distance. Unlike Plagg, he'd skipped dinner to talk to Marinette, but the emotions roiling around in his stomach had chased his hunger away. At least for food; a part of his soul was screaming for companionship in that dark hour, but as he looked around the empty plaza, saw none was forthcoming.

He popped open the Bug Tracker function on his baton, wanting to see the little red ladybug appear but was also slightly relieved when it didn't. Snapping it shut again, he stared off into the night, considering how he moved forward. The first five ideas he came up with all seemed like they would be poor variations on what he had done initially; a very public apology to Ladybug, and a release of her from the date obligation would harm her publicly almost as much as his initial proposal. Plans six through eight reminded him that Ladybug tended to be the plotter in their partnership.

Number nine seemed so simple, he nearly discarded it. But the more he thought about it, Chat felt it had a reasonable chance of repairing his relationship with Ladybug - and, maybe, getting back into Marinette's good graces. Mari was too good a friend to both Chat and Adrien for him to lose her.

Popping open his baton, he swapped to the text message function.

_**Chat:**_ _You have every right to be annoyed with this cat. _

He paused, backed it out, and tried again, claws flying over the keyboard.

_**Chat:**_ _I was blind and had to have a friend tell me how badly I messed up. I have no right to ask you to forgive me._

Chat's ears were still drooping, but he thought that might capture how he was feeling. Hitting send, he started the next line.

_**Chat:**_ _My exuberance overrode my manners. I didn't mean to put you into an uncomfortable situation. I'm sorry, and will do anything to make it up to you._

His tail flicked as he reviewed what he'd written and he found himself frowning. Chat backspaced a bit and changed it slightly.

_**Chat: **__My exuberance overrode my manners. I put you into an uncomfortable spot_

_No, no puns!_ he chided himself.

_**Chat: **__My exuberance overrode my manners. I put you into an uncomfortable situation and that is on me. _

Hitting send, he though a bit more and added his coda.

_**Chat:**_ _I'd like to talk through this, but only when you're ready. I totally get it if you'd rather not see me for a bit. I'll lay low until you're ready._

No, he decided, that didn't sound right. He backed it out.

_**Chat: **__It hurts me to think I've screwed this up so badly. I can't fathom how you must be feeling and am forever sorry. When you are ready to talk, I will be here._

He paused, then added:

_**Chat: **__But I also understand if you don't. -cn_

Taking a deep breath, he sent the final message and waited for a moment, but wasn't surprised when he didn't get a response. Snapping the baton closed, he pulled himself together as best as he could and leapt back into the night.

Adrien transformed briefly the following morning to confirm Ladybug hadn't yet replied, then headed to school only to find the interview was the topic of the day. Having not slept especially well, he found the breathless discussion of Chat's motives at best irritating; at worst, it drove home many of the points Marinette had made to him.

Sliding into his seat, he dropped his tablet on the desk with a thud, eliciting a shocked glance from Nino. "Dude?" he asked, the one syllable this time standing in for, _What the heck, Adrien?_

Fluent in Nino-speak, Adrien looked at him slant-eyed. "A… friend of mine messed up badly, and I was up all night trying to help him out," he said honestly, before realizing his entire circle of friends were in that room at the moment.

Nino figured that out straight away and leaned in, whispering, eyes wide: "You know Chat Noir?! Did he visit you last night?"

"Yes," Adrien answered. How could he lie? Both parts were true. He saw Marinette's head twist a bit toward him. "It was pointed out to him that he put Ladybug into a difficult spot-" he groaned inwardly, the pun just slipped out, "-and popped in for advice."

"What did you say?" Marinette asked, intruding on the conversation.

"Uh," he started. "I, uh, helped him realize where he'd gone off the rails. I think he feels terrible about the whole thing now, but he said Ladybug wasn't returning his calls." He paused. "He left saying he was going to try texting her, but understood if she chose not to respond."

Nino looked at Adrien, hard. "He must have been pretty distraught, dude. You look terrible."

"It was a very long night," he replied. _Longer than you can imagine, _he added to himself.

* * *

Marinette's night had been a mixture of frustration and guilt. The look on Chat's face as he'd slipped off into the darkness left her feeling a little haunted. Sure, she had been annoyed at her partner for his antics, but she knew it was his typical overdramatic actions that had prompted him to romantically ask her on a date. It was just the fact she'd been so completely trapped by the whole thing - and his general lack of boundaries that had set her off.

Tikki just seemed to think that things would sort themselves out, like she usually did, and that left Marinette feeling more frustrated than ever. Now, she not only had to figure out how to deal with Chat's foolishness, but also for her crazy outburst that had left him feeling ashamed. She really did need to work on her ranting skills. A filter would be a good start.

Overhearing Adrien talk about his visit with Chat had put her on full alert. Unable to stop herself, she listened as he explained that Chat had planned to send her messages and felt her heart trip. She never checked her messages on her yo-yo communicator unless she was heading to patrol or an akuma fight. Maybe she'd have to make an exception.

Since class hadn't quite started yet, Marinette slipped out of the room and raced to a quiet closet where she changed into Ladybug quickly so she could read them.

Obviously, her partner felt miserable about the conversation they had had last night. A quick text back asking him to meet her tonight at their favourite spot was all she could do before the bell to start class rang. Transforming back, she slid into her room and took her seat, pondering the conversation they would need to have.

It turned out that the conversation was an awkward one to broach. They sat awkwardly on the rooftop farther apart than they ever had before, carefully avoiding each other's eyes and falling into their own nervous habits.

Finally, Ladybug couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Listen, Chat. I-" He cut her off, brow furrowed into a deep frown.

"No. I need to apologize, My Lady. I was too excited at the thought of being all romantic and I didn't take the time to think of how it would make you feel. I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable or trap you into having to say yes. I just," The hand rubbing the back of his neck would probably have gone right through the skin by now if the collar of his suit wasn't protecting it. "I just wanted to ask you out on a date, just you and me. You are special to me, Ladybug. Can you forgive me?"

He looked so forlorn, with those big kitty eyes, that Ladybug knew she couldn't really be all that mad with him. Her sweet bumbling kitten.

"Of course I do, Minou," she said calmly, watching his shoulders sag in relief with her forgiveness. "Next time, though, can you ask me when we are alone?"

"Next time?!" His voice broke in surprise and the incredulous look on his face made her burst out with genuine laughter

"I can't promise I will say yes, you know." He seemed broken.

"Anyways, kitty, since you wanted to have a date, I brought you a surprise." Reaching around the chimney, Ladybug produced a basket. Carefully, she spread out a blanket and laid out a selection of picnic foods. "Care to join me for a midnight snack in the moonlight?"

One must never underestimate the power of food on a teenage boy. almost instantly, his jaw snapped shut from the gape that her request had left him with and he dove for a space beside her on the blanket, sitting cross legged.

Stuffing large chunks of a croissant in his mouth, she caught him eyeballing her funny.

"What?" she asked finally, feeling a tad uncomfortable with the scrutiny. A flush peeked out from his mask.

"It's just… I was wondering." He looked sheepish. "You aren't like 30, are you? And married?"

Her burst of laughter just about made her fall backwards.

"No, kitty. I'm not." She had never seen someone look more relieved in her life.


	24. Giving Up

July 24: Giving Up

_Author's Note: Once more I, Epcot97, find myself writing a story completely different than what I'd intended for this prompt. I suppose that's the magic of the process - and, perhaps, the intractable way these characters get into my head and demand to be heard. In this case, Chat (of course) has managed to wrangle himself a story with university-aged versions of our heroes (so no letters, please) and is the __backstory to something CM wrote_ _\- something she may have forgotten I promised her many months ago._

_Ep: Speaking of giving up, I've actually decided to just throw in the towel and just send ZAG my resume. Anyone else game?_

_Lyra: I'm just secretly hoping they randomly message me one day and announce that I'm their Canadian Ambassador. I'd totally be in it to win it._

_CM: The Party! Where Chloe does something unspeakable?! And then you inspired me to write a story about butterfly poop! (We've come a long way from that!)_

* * *

I arrived at the party, unsure of whether I really wanted to be there. Two years into life as a University student, I'd managed to steer clear of most of the social engagements that entailed, but this particular evening, Nino had the gig as a DJ and had asked if I would be going. Wanting to support my best friend, I agreed to an appearance, only intending to stay long enough to satisfy my promise.

It had been a long day, one of many where I balanced my full course load, continued to model for House of Gabriel and the nearly daily obligation to save Paris from Hawkmoth. I was bone weary, and as I passed the euphemistically named "bar," actually considered grabbing one of the red cups in an effort to unwind. But I also knew one or two of those concoctions would likely have me snoozing in a dark corner, curled up cat-like.

The dance floor was already hopping, full mostly of undergraduates I really didn't know very well. Some of my friends from our high school days were there, and as I scanned further, I finally found two I knew better than most. Working my way through the throng, I put on my best model smile as I approached Alya and Marinette.

"Hey, Prin-Marinette," I said, giving her the traditional French air kiss. I'd nearly blown it, though: Chat and Marinette had something of a budding romance, and it was increasingly difficult for me to keep Adrien in the friend zone with Marinette when I saw her. "Alya. How's your fiance doing?"

She laughed, and my eyes fell to the glittering diamond on her finger. Nino had proposed a few months ago, with some help from a certain black kitty, and I was already committed to be his best man. "Not bad," she said. "He's trying out a new set that he might roll together for an album."

That made my eyebrows go up. Nino had been a monster, releasing new mixes for the dance floor one right after the other. His was a star on the rise. "Can we get an early copy?" I asked, pitching my voice to be heard over the thrum of the baseline.

"Of course," she said. "You two are his better beta listeners." Her eyes darted to Marinette, then down to the half-full soda bottle Marinette was holding. Snatching it, she said quickly, "I'll get a refill!"

Alya darted into the crowd and both of us rolled our eyes. Our old friend had pulled her usual stunt, but by now we were both aware that she'd been trying to match us since Dupont. I found myself smiling, Chat-like, at Marinette. Little did Alya know that we had indeed paired off - just not the way she'd expected.

"Good party?" I asked, making conversation. "I just got here, had a nasty photo shoot this afternoon," I explained. I tactfully left out that Chat and Ladybug had been called to action over at the Louvre, too. It was partly why I was late arriving.

"I don't know," she replied. "I've only been here a short while, too." She looked up at Nino. "And as much as I love Nino, parties just aren't my thing."

"Me, either," I concurred. My eyes fell on hers, and it took everything I had not to wink at her and suggest I spirit her away from the crowd. Adrien wouldn't do that. But being this close to my girlfriend, Chat was desperately clawing his way into my consciousness and demanding some action.

Swallowing, I turned toward the raised dais Nino was on, trying to focus on what he was playing. It proved to be difficult; for whatever reason, the atmosphere had gotten to me, and all I could think about was the petite woman standing next to me. A moment later, I realized I'd snaked my arm over her shoulders, and she had actually snuggled into me. I snuck a look down at her, and mentally weighed the pros and cons of throwing everything to the wind and giving in to the temptation to kiss her. That was nearly as strong as my urge to pick at the ribbon she'd used to put her hair into a ponytail.

Alya managed to save me at the last minute, returning with Marinette's soda. I saw her eyes take in my casual removal of the arm, and knew I was flushing slightly like the inner teen I suddenly felt like. "Chloe's here," she said without preamble.

My head swiveled, looking for the blonde head that I knew always meant trouble. "I thought she was in New York?"

"She's visiting her dad," Alya said. "It must not be going well, though," she added. "She's already three sheets to the wind, and that bottle of Dom Perignon she's swigging from now won't improve her prospects much." Alya frowned a bit and finished with: "In the twenty minutes she's been here, she's managed to insult just about everyone."

I groaned, and thought I'd heard Marinette do the same. Nearly every time Chloe got into a state, someone wound up akumatized; I made a snap decision it would be wiser for Chat to be present, if only in the shadows, just in case.

"Wow!" I said, looking at my phone. "Is it that late already? I really need to go."

"You just got here!" Alya cried, eyes darting to Marinette and landing on the phone in her friend's hand. "Don't tell me. You have to leave, too?"

"Maman just texted," she nodded. "They need help with a big order at the Bakery for tomorrow."

I made my farewells and quickly exited despite Alya's pleas to stay for one more set. Marinette parted ways with me at the door to the club and I ducked into the first quiet alley I could find to become Chat Noir. Clawing my way to the roof, I found an open skylight and curled through it to a catwalk just above Nino's dias, ignoring the irony. The lighting rig masked my movements, and I steathlity crept to the edge and timed a leap to the balcony rimming the event space for a burst of loud trumpets in the track Nino was playing.

To my surprise, Ladybug was already crouched below the velvet-rimmed railing. "Great minds?" she laughed. "I heard Chloe was back in town."

"You must have picked up on my deepest desire to see you this evening, Milady," I said with a smile. "But yes, Chloe is down there. Somewhere."

"I wonder-" she started, but didn't finish.

A loud crash issued from the "bar" and we both turned toward it. Chloe had upended it with one hand, and the bartender was standing there, soaked by whatever had been on the counter at the time. My feline hearing was able to cut through the noise and hear Chloe berate the bartender for not giving her another bottle of Dom Perignon, and my masked eyes widened as I watched her simply pull one from the ice bath and demand the attendant open it.

"Uh…" I said. "Maybe we should have an intervention?"

"Good idea," Ladybug agreed, but before we could hurdle the balcony, a second crash issued from the far side of the room, followed by the telltale requisite screaming.

I locked eyes with Ladybug. Our akuma had appeared.

Turning, we saw a fellow university student standing just off the dais. Clad head-to-toe in a form-fitting yellow and black outfit, he was wearing some sort of enhanced set of goggles; I watched in amazement as he turned it on a gaggle of frantically escaping partygoers. After a yellow-and-black flash of light, the group had disappeared; I suspected strongly they might now be on the music poster he was holding in one hand.

"Not good enough!" he cried, his voice carrying now that Nino had stopped the music. "I am just as good as this clown! And more than good enough for _you!_"

Inexorably, the akuma started to move toward Chloe, who simply glared at him. If I hadn't known her as well as I did, I'd have assumed the alcohol was giving her false confidence. "Whatever," she said, swigging from her new bottle. "This party is just ridiculous. I don't even know why I came."

"Don't worry," the akuma said with a menacing smile. "MixMaster will make sure you blend in with the party."

I rolled my eyes. The names Hawkmoth came up with! I looked to my partner, but before I could say anything, a stray spotlight had fallen on her. My breath caught as she sparkled in the glow; for the first time in years, I saw her in that gauzy way I first did as a lovestruck teenager. Clearing my throat, I tried again. "I'll distract?"

"As always," she smiled. I could see she was using her Lucky Vision, and leapt over the railing to give her the time she needed.

"Mind if I join the party?" I asked as I dropped in front of Chloe. "Although, I'm not really a fan of party crashers."

"At last! Thank you, Chat Noir," Chloe huffed with a glare at MixMaster.

"I was referring to you," I said snarkily.

"What-?" she said, spluttering.

"Fine," MixMaster said, and started to train his goggles on me.

I bounded backwards and nabbed Chloe, rolling to a corner through the dispersing crowd of guests. Coming up and out of the crouch with my baton, I smiled at the akuma. "Sorry, had to change tracks for that last number."

"That's not even a _good_ pun," Chloe said hotly.

"Everyone's a critic," I replied as I moved back toward MixMaster. "I don't know what she said to you-"

The beam shot out and I leapt left, far enough that he had to turn away from Chloe to pursue me. I smiled, for her sense of self-preservation had kicked in - she scrambled from the floor and into the restroom she was close too, locking the door behind her. I suspected the door wouldn't present much of a challenge to MixMaster, but it was cute nonetheless.

I paused to lean on my baton, hand on cheek. "-but you really have to give it up for her effort. It must have been something-"

He took another shot at me, but I was fractionally faster, falling backwards and under the beam. Scampering around to another corner, he shot at me a number of times; a few of the bystanders, unfortunately, wound up caught in his crosshairs, but I was sure Ladybug would get them out again with the Miraculous Cure.

I stood again, leaning against a temporary light post by the dias, twirling my tail. Above and behind me, I heard Ladybug quietly call out for her Lucky Charm, and knew we were now on the clock. "Look," I said brightly. "Give up now and we'll call it an early night, 'kay? I don't know about you, but I have class tomorrow-"

MixMaster bounded atop a table, nearly growling, and shot his goggles at me in a rapid-fire pace; I leapt, vaulted and rolled, but one errant shot caught my baton. I groaned as I watched it evaporate into thin air. That was likely to complicate things.

"Chat!" I heard from Ladybug. "I need your tail!"

I scrambled a bit to stay ahead of a now clearly furious MixMaster, unbuckling my belt as I ran. Nearing Ladybug's perch, I hurled it up to her. "What's the plan?" I asked as I vaulted up to the lighting catwalk.

"How are you at swan diving?" she asked. "And get your Cataclysm ready," she added as she landed next to me on the catwalk.

"Cataclysm!" I cried. I long ago had stopped questioning her when it came to the Rube Goldberg nature of her plans. As the power flew into my finger tips, I felt her reposition my belt around me; she'd quickly re-fashioned it into a climbing harness, and once it was re-buckled to me, I felt her tug at it from where she'd hooked her yo-yo.

Looking up, I saw she'd threaded the yo-yo through a lighting hook in the ceiling. I looked back at her and just simply understood what she was going to do. "Ready," I said, holding my ring hand carefully as I used the other to grip the catwalk railing.

"Go for the poster," she said. "Now!"

I leapt from the catwalk, and felt the yo-yo play out behind me. Down I went, and she pulled slightly to give me just the right arc. Arm outstretched, I rolled sideways to avoid a shot from his goggles and to stay online with the poster. My fingertips grazed it as I went by; my arc sent me upwards slightly, and I tensed, intrinsically knowing Ladybug would release the yo-yo from my belt at the best moment for me to roll.

Hearing the _ziiing_ of the retracting yo-yo, I curled and landed, rolling up into my pounce-crouch just in time to see her snag the purple butterfly. A moment later, her cleansing spell washed through the space with a million of her tiny helpers; my baton dropped into my hand just as I'd started to put my tail to rights.

I hopped quickly over to a bespectacled student, wearing the bewildered expression common to Hawkmoth's victims. He didn't remember why he was angry, but he was also still quite drunk; opting for caution, I used the baton to call for a taxi and sent him home. But in the end, it didn't matter. Chloe had pulled her usual stunt and screwed up someone else's life, albeit briefly.

We found Chloe passed out in the bathroom, a slight trickle of drool running down her face. I was seriously tempted to snag a photo with my baton, but this time Adrien poked his head into my consciousness and decried the very thought. She might not be a _true _friend, but she was, after all, still a friend.

As we loaded her into a second taxi destined for the Grand Hotel, my ring chirped the two minute warning. I could see from Ladybug's earrings that she was also down to two spots. "And here I was hoping we'd be able to spend more time together this evening," I quipped to her.

"I thought you already had a girlfriend," she teased.

"I do," I said, extending my baton and leaning on it with a dreamy expression. "I'm sad to say, my days of flirting with you are over, Milady."

Ladybug, of all things, started to _smirk_. "I never thought I'd see the day," she said, chuckling.

"And what would that be?" I was now leaning an elbow on the top of my baton, chin in hand.

"You. Giving up on me," she said good naturedly as she readied her yo-yo.

I leaned toward her on my baton and managed to graze a chaste kiss on the portion of her cheek that wasn't covered by her mask. "How will you _ever_ survive?" I teased.

"Oh, I suspect I'll find a way…" she answered as she sailed off into the night.


	25. Hawkmoth's Defeat

July 25: Hawkmoth's Defeat

_Author's Note: Epcot97 back with you again with a rather lopsided Chat-centric entry for LadyNoirJuly. We find our hero… embraced… by his situation in such a way he has to think a little creatively to defeat Hawkmoth; in the process, he discovers while it's one small skirmish in the long fight, it's a battle he and Ladybug will ultimately win. _

_CM: Maybe if WE defeat Hawk Moth then Astruc will hand over the rights to Miraculous as a prize!_

* * *

Struggling didn't seem to matter - no, that was wrong; struggling only seemed to draw the magical bands binding me tighter. It was already hard to draw a deep breath, so I wisely closed my masked eyes and try to find my happy place. Which, at that moment, could easily have been one-on-one time with a dentist doing a root canal on me.

It had been a Samaritan trap; Ladybug and I had just wrapped an especially easy akuma. She had bugged out fairly quickly after to recharge her kwami, but I'd not had to use Cataclysm and had decided to enjoy the extended freedom of a quick run through the skies. On the way back to class, I'd seen an older woman frantically waving to me from a small park I'd been passing. I redirected down to her, and she'd breathlessly told me her granddaughter was trapped on the roof of their apartment building; the super had gone to get the key, but could I expedite matters…?

Without thinking about the strange coincidence of running into a citizen in need, I'd smiled and used my baton to rise up to the roof in question. Sure enough, a small figure was huddled there, back turned to me. As I reached down to calm the crying child, the fabric exploded in a puff of smoke; a fraction of a moment later, I was swaddled in cloth myself, and fell over sideways, more in shock than anything else.

Flexing to try and escape had resulted in the first massive squeeze, and my more subtle attempts had been met with similar results. So, I waited, knowing that sooner or later the akuma who had presumably been the grandmotherly figure I'd encountered would appear. My ring hand was pinned to my chest, but I was reasonably sure I could still use it to free myself with Cataclysm - but that was a card I wanted to hold onto as long as possible.

I'd settled on my side in the middle of the small space, and wondered what was taking so long. Normally Hawkmoth would want to have a few moments to gloat, especially if he smelled victory (as he often thought he did), but the longer I lay there without the akuma appearing, the more I wondered if I was merely a pawn in a larger chess game.

With a cold dread of certainty, I realized _I_ had just become the Samaritan snare. One that Ladybug wouldn't be able to resist. I tried to tamp down my anger at having my compassion used against me; thinking clearly was the only way to escape. I had to assume Hawkmoth was still hunting for Ladybug, and that worked to my advantage. She _should_ have returned to her civilian alter-ego by now, so short of the new akuma doing something to attract her attention, it would be a bit before she'd even need to start looking for Chat.

Worst of all, my nose was itching. What I wouldn't have given to get a claw to it-

_Seriously, Chat?_ I thought suddenly, groaning.

I was so focused on not using my Cataclysm, I'd overlooked an obvious alternative. I'd been putting away my baton with my non-ring hand, and it was trapped a few centimeters from the small of my back. Ever so carefully, I moved the index finger on my non-ring hand, trying to angle the claw tip up just enough to possibly pierce the fabric. It took a bit of effort, but I was rewarded with the glorious sound of rending fabric and the feel of air against my fingertip.

The victory was short lived, for my feline ears picked up the sound of someone approaching from the supposedly locked stairwell. Wanting to hide my efforts, I rolled to my other side, enduring the gentle additional squeeze my movements engendered. It was now _very_ difficult to breath, so I would only have one or two more giant movements at best.

I happened to now be facing said doorway, which burst open for the grandmotherly figure who'd flagged me down. The cruel smile told me I had guessed correctly; I didn't need to see the additional confirmation from the sudden flash of Hawkmoth's symbol over her face. "Glad you could… make the party…" I rasped out.

"I see it took you a bit to realize the squeeze you were in," the old lady said as she stepped forward.

"Nice one…" I said, trying for a cheesy grin. "I might… steal it…"

"Keep wriggling like a worm and you won't need to," she said as she stepped over to me. "Now, where's that ring of yours?"

I kept smiling, knowing it was buried below the fabric. I also intuited that something had changed; clearly, whatever they'd tried to do to attract Ladybug hadn't borne fruit as quickly as they'd wanted. Surreptitiously, I dragged the claw I was now laying on upward, and felt the fabric tear further; needing to buy time, I trotted out my tried-and-true distraction tactics.

"You'll have to… dig… for it," I advised. "Didn't think… to keep it exposed… for you."

"Ah, not a problem," she said, producing some scissors from a sizable sewing kit hooked to her garish belt. I filed that away for later.

"Seamstress?" I asked. "I'm not in the market… for any… alterations," I said, trying to look a bit wary (which was not hard to do).

"In another life," she said as she set to work snipping back the fabric around my trapped ring hang, trying to free the fingertips.

Trying not to tense to much, I splayed my other paw into the fabric, trying to sink the remaining claws into the cloth. I felt them puncture, and attempted to wriggle them a bit. The cloth immediately shrunk around my paw, eliciting a startled gasp from me. Seamstress looked at me, but I'd managed to keep my innocent face plastered on my visage.

Changing tactics slightly, I pulsed my paw slightly, and was rewarded with the alleviation of some pressure; I continued and started to feel the threads parting first around the claw tips, then toward the first knuckle of each finger. I only needed a little bit of movement in order to reach my baton; I was reasonably certain if I triggered vault mode it would shred the cloth.

It was a small hope, but one I was clinging to.

Keeping my eyes focused on Seamstress and her efforts to get at the ring, I continued to carefully wrestle my fingers free. As if I didn't have enough on my mind, I found myself wondering if anyone had noticed Adrien was missing. The last time that had happened, Father had turned the city upside down looking for me. Between the first akuma and now, it had maybe been an hour, so the search parties likely had yet to be formed.

I could feel the upper part of my ring hand being freed, and moved a bit faster on my own project. Seamstress was so focused on getting to my ring that I risked moving a bit more deliberately; I'd managed to get enough of my non-ring hand free that I could move my fingers normally. I just needed one twist in order to reach the baton - and the hope I could still trigger it below the layers of fabric.

"You won't… win…" I said, trying to sound confident. "We always… defeat Hawkmoth…"

"Not this time," she said, and I could see the flash of Hawkmoth's symbol on her face. Grinning, she reached down and started to twist the now-freed ring, trying to move it across my knuckles.

Instinctively, I pulled the hand into a fist, but even that minimal muscle movement triggered another body-wide squeeze that forced a gasp from me. That was nearly it - I could only get tiny, panting breaths now. But my fist remained firmly closed.

"Careful, careful," she cackled, pausing in her own efforts, "or you'll embrace the moment… fully."

I glared at her - it was about all I could manage.

Seamstress returned to my hand and started to try and pry my fist open. Still saving the Cataclysm, I closed my eyes for a brief moment and centered myself one final time. Taking as deep a breath as I could, I paused a beat and then twisted to reach the baton as much as the fabric allowed in a single massive movement.

Caught by my unexpected gambit, Seamstress flew backwards, sending the scissors flying. The fabric shrunk threefold around me, enveloping my body in a deadly tight embrace; there'd be no breathing now. But it didn't matter - my claw tip grazed the activation panel on the baton.

For a long moment, nothing happened, and I feared the fabric had prevented the touch activation from occurring. Just as I started to assume I'd missed my only chance, I heard the reassuring electronic chirp of activation followed by the massive rending of fabric as the baton extended.

The pressure released and I rolled away from Seamstress and out of the scraps of fabric, somehow managing to also pull the baton from my back in the process. I came up in my pounce-crouch stance, sucking in giant lungfuls of air as if my life depended on it.

"Like I said," trying to sound cocky despite breathing hard, "we _always _win."

"Yeah," I heard from up and behind me. I didn't need to turn to know my partner had arrived; she dropped down next to me. "Sorry I'm late," she said quietly. "I didn't realize you were in trouble until HM had _her_-" she nodded toward Seamstress, who was now contemplating the two of us, "-announce on livestream she'd taken your Miraculous."

"Ah," I said.

"I knew you were too wily to let that happen easily, but also assumed they wanted to draw me out."

"Spot on as always," I said, breathing somewhat normally at that point. "I did get a little wrapped up in trying to defeat her," I admitted.

Looking over the fabric scraps, she smiled wryly. "I can see that. Where's the akuma?"

"Feline it's the sewing kit," I said, eyes narrowing. I snuck the baton back into its spot and then moved into more of a crouch, claws out. "I would like a shot at that first, Milady, if you don't mind."

Bemused, I saw Ladybug nod and step backwards, hefting her yo-yo to keep it at the ready.

I locked eyes on Seamstress, who seemed to also be considering what I was going to do. I didn't let her finish. "Cataclysm!" I cried and then immediately vaulted at her, growling as I flew through the air.

She tried to twist away from me, but I was too fast; as I whisked past her, my fingertips connecting with the small pouch on her hip. I pulled into a tuck and rolled out against the wall, then backflipped to face her.

The purple butterfly had tried made a break for it, but Ladybug quickly snagged it; a moment later, the pure white version fluttered away and the purple wave of Hawkmoth's spell rolled over the victim. I dealt with the grandmother-turned-supervillain, discovering she was indeed a former seamstress as well as a resident in that very building, upset that her granddaughter had cancelled a long-planned weekend with her.

Hating how Hawkmoth used people in emotional turmoil as he did, I helped her to the staircase and watched her descend to her apartment; Ladybug was still waiting for me by the edge of the roof when I returned. "We need to find a way to defeat him. Defeat Hawkmoth, once and for all," I said, anger boiling over. "It's unconscionable how he flings people like that at us! It has to stop!"

Ladybug drew me close and gave me a gentle hug. "We'll get there," she said confidently. "He's making more and more missteps, Chat, and we're learning. Fast." She hugged me again and let me go. "And you're not wrong - we always win."

I half grinned. "Heard that, did you?"

"I did." She leapt to the half wall. "See you around?" she asked.

Ring chirping, I nodded. "Unless you want to take me home with you," I said hopefully.

"Someday, Chat," she laughed. "Just not today," she called out as she sailed away into the afternoon.

_Wow_, I thought. _Not a 'never,' and I can work with that_!

I soared into the air myself and managed to get back to an alleyway close to Dupont just as the final chirps on my ring began. Quickly feeding Plagg, I dashed up the steps and back into my final class of the day, trying to look innocent though knowing I'd been absent for most of the afternoon.

My thoughts immediately strayed from the lesson though, as I pondered what Ladybug had said. Today may have only been a minor victory, but she was right. We _were _learning, and each encounter provided us with new clues that would ultimately lead to Hawkmoth's defeat. But even that thought became subsumed in visions of Ladybug.

It felt a bit like she'd cracked open a door for me that afternoon, and I dreamily started to fantasize about chasing her across the skies as Chat, playing a romantic game of tag and wondering, exactly, where she might live. I must have said something out loud, for Nino tensed and kicked me under the desk.

"Dude," he hissed quietly. "Get a grip!"

"Already had that today," I smirked, and then settled in for the rest of the lesson.


	26. Sacrifices

July 26: Sacrifices

_Author's Note: Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me. (It's sad... so obviously CM wrote it... for when you need someone to blame)_

_Ep: Is that why you encrypted this story so we couldn't see it until published? I swear I'm not the one that leaked the ending to that other story (smiles angelically)_

_CM: *hastily finishes constructing her cataclysm-proof bunker* Maaaaaybe._

_I am fairly certain that after this, you might say I just _killed_ our chances of getting the rights to Miraculous... (Nope. No foreshadowing here...)_

* * *

The battle was fierce. The akuma was devastatingly fast, and the sentimonster was stronger than any they'd come up against. Ladybug and Chat Noir stood side by side, connected via earwig to Rena Rouge and Carapace on the other side of the square. There was very little cover, and the four were in constant motion.

Rena and Carapace were the front line against the sentimonster, fear that took the shape of a lion, all golden sinew and sharp teeth. The akuma appeared to be an oversized purple polar bear, a chain around its neck the only real place the akuma could be hiding, with Chat Noir and Ladybug were taking the lead against him. The bear was too quick for Ladybug to step back and formulate a plan, and there was nowhere to run and hide, so right now, she and Chat were taking turns running in for a quick strike and dodging away. They were tiring and dozens of smaller wounds were adding up, draining the energy they had left.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug saw the lion smack Rena Rouge with one giant paw, sending her sprawling, and leaving her slow to get up. Carapace's haunted cry, that both echoed throughout the square and though her earpiece, had her reevaluating. She yelled to Chat that they should focus on the sentimonster, bring it down, then all four could face down the akuma, giving her time to call on her lucky charm. He agreed and dealt the akuma a ferocious series of blows, while Ladybug dodged past it on her way to the lion. By the time Chat joined them, Rena was back on her feet, only a little unsteady.

The bear akuma was in a side street, roaring, trying to work out how to get back to them. Chat had let it on a swift chase, only just able to keep out in front, before diving back between its legs and escaping over the roof of a building.

All of the heroes were bloodied in some way, and Ladybug had a small rent in the fabric covering her thigh, which had all of them on edge. Carapace fared better than the rest, being the most heavily armored, but that also made him slightly slower than the others, built for defense more than offense.

The lion stalked towards the four superheroes, roaring to inform its partner of their location. An answering roar came from the bear, closer now than it had been, and Ladybug knew that they'd have to work fast. Laying out the plan, they split slightly, encircling the sentimonster, so it was constantly turning to snap at the person who was attacking it from behind.

The roar of the bear kept getting louder, reminding the friends that they had merely minutes, if even that long, to deal with the sentimonster, before it would have backup. Signaling for Carapace to slide around closer to Chat, Ladybug had them distract the lion while she slid underneath to grab the watch she'd finally seen, buried in the fur around the lion's leg.

She snatched it and tossed it to Rena in one movement, watching as the fox girl broke the watch and a purple feather drifted out. Ladybug captured the feather with her yo-yo and released it with a wave. "Bye bye little feather!"

As the four watched the white feather drift up, the akuma-bear turned the final corner and raced towards them. Turning, the four snapped back to battle ready stances, trying to surround the bear, but it was too quick for them. They took turns, two at a time, darting in and doing what they can to engage the beast, and to snag the chain from around its neck. The dancing and weaving was wearing down the creature, but they were not able to get close enough to grab the akumatized object, and they were tiring as well. With a nod from Ladybug, Rena Rouge cast her Mirage, setting up dozens of each of the four heroes, completely surrounding the purple polar bear.

The illusions moved with more vigor than the heroes, their movements a little jerkier, but the bear, tempted by the frenzy, started to swipe his paw through them, causing the individuals to vanish in a puff of orange vapor.

The real Ladybug took this distraction to call for her lucky charm, and a heartbeat later, all her dopplegangers did as well. Each mirage Ladybug received a different item from her lucky charm, while the true Ladybug caught a red and black spotted umbrella. There were not many items in the empty square to use it with, but Carapace, Chat and the necklace flashed in her lucky vision, along with the umbrella.

She alerted Chat to prepare his power, and had Carapace use his shell shield to boost her into the air as she flew, hook side of the umbrella forward, to snag the chain. The umbrella caught, but Ladybug's weight was not enough to break the chain, so she hung there, surprised, dangling from the neck of the bear. She gathered herself to yank the chain free, but the bear had other ideas.

Roaring a cry filled with anguish and pain, the beast leaned forwards and swiped its massive paw at the three heroes remaining on the ground. Carapace threw up his shelter, shielding himself and Rena from the devastating strike, but Chat dove outside the reach of the magical protection, knowing that he would be unable to use the magic bubbling in his hand if he was inside of it. Slamming his right hand into the ground, trying to open up a crack to stop the bear from advancing.

The plan went off, almost without a hitch. The crack widened, and the bear stepped forward into empty air, toppling dangerously, twisting for one last swipe. Ladybug, still clinging to the bear's upper chest, focused on the chain, her back to the hole and the danger, snapped the chain free, just as the bear lost its fight with gravity, falling face first into the crack. Chat Noir leaped forward, shoving Ladybug to safety, only to be caught underneath the mass of the akuma as it toppled into the crevice. As bear and cat disappeared out of sight, the three friends winced as the scream and the roar cut off suddenly, leaving silence ringing around the square.

Opening the link on the now damaged chain, Ladybug released the dark butterfly, and quickly cleansing it, threw the umbrella in the air, hoping against hope that the miraculous cure would bring her partner back to her.

When Chat did not reappear, the three remaining friends waited for the inevitable swoosh of red ladybugs that refilled their energy, and then spelled out the words 'Level Clear'.

Marinette turned to Chat, who was holding his game controller, ears drooping. "You know, Kitty. We only won because of you. Without your sacrifice, all of us may have died."

Chat smiled at her, his feline ears perking up. "You mean that, Princess?"

Placing a consoling hand on his shoulder, Marinette squeezed his free hand with her other. "Of course! You are always willing to put yourself in the line of fire! Is it weird for you to die as yourself in a video game?"

Grinning, he answered, "It is weird to BE a character in a video game." Preening a little, he crowed, "But that's the price one must pay to be a superhero." Looking at Marinette hopefully, he added, "How about a kiss, for your brave knight who laid it all on the line, so his princess could deal the final blow?"

With an angelic smile, Marinette leaned towards him. "That, Chaton, is no sacrifice at all."


	27. comfort

July 27: Comfort

_Authors' Note: Ep and CM are the awesomest people in the whole wide world._

_Extra Author's Note: Lyra feels slightly offended. :P_

_Extra Extra Author's note: Ep and CM and Lyra are the awesomest people in the whole wide world and definitely deserve to have the rights to _Miraculous _handed to them on a silver platter. (Are you listening Mr. Astruc, sir?)_

* * *

_**Chat Noir**_

Hawkmoth was in one of his manic periods, and as I huddled beneath the upended desk in our classroom, I tried not to groan. I'd already been late to school, courtesy of an akuma that wreaked havoc with early morning commuters; that wasn't nearly as bad as having the science experiment Nino and I had been working on for weeks smashed beyond recognition. I furvently hoped Ladybug's cleansing spell would restore some part of it.

As I searched for some way to escape and transform, I surveyed what was left of our classroom. Portions of the walls had crumbled down, and an entire section of windows facing the street had been shattered. I could see part of the darkened sky through gaps where the ceiling had fallen through; the more damage I spied, the more amazed I was that my classmates were so far unscathed.

Chat Noir needed to make an appearance, but skulking out was going to be a problem. The door to the classroom would have been a bad option on any day, but it had been blocked by a fallen bookcase; while I could see several gashes in the wall I might be able to wriggle through, none were hidden enough that I'd be able to duck out before someone saw me. I needed a distraction, as if having an akuma barreling down on us wasn't enough.

As if on cue, there was a scream from the rear of the classroom.

Eyes narrowed with determination, I immediately pressed Nino further under the desk as another shower of plaster rained down on us. I darted around falling ceiling tiles and up what was left of the steps for our raised desks, and slid behind an overturned locker. Rose was there, huddled, and shaking badly; the sleeve from her sweater had become entangled in the debris, and she was frantically pulling at it.

I bent to the task at hand and tried to lift the largest piece of wall that had pinned her; without my super Chat strength, I barely got it to move more than a millimeter. Growling nearly as well as Chat might have, I lifted harder. As I squatted there, straining, I felt more than saw someone join me and started to lift as well; slowly, between the two of us, we managed to raise it enough that Rose was able to slide out and away.

Muscles shaking with the strain, I turned to ensure that Rose had cleared out and saw it was Marinette who'd come to my aide. Barely able to nod in thanks, we dropped the debris together, raising a huge cloud of dust in the process. "Thanks," I said, trying not to choke.

"I'm going for help," she said without preamble, nodding toward another hole in the wall - the one I'd also spied when I'd slid under the locker to help Rose. It was hidden from the rest of the room by the debris.

"I'll go," I offered, knowing Marinette was better at crowd control in these situations than I was.

Despite the dust coating her face, I could clearly see something flash across her face. "No-" she started.

There was a massive rumble, and I had barely enough time to register that the portion of ceiling directly above us was about to cave. Channeling Chat, I tackled Marinette and dove through the opening just as the spot we'd been in was crushed beneath tons of ceiling material. I tried to roll out and release Marinette, but I wasn't as graceful non-transformed and managed instead to fling her away from me instead, only to crash headfirst into what was left of the railing rimming the courtyard.

Stunned, it took me a moment to recover my bearings. By the time I did, Marinette was gone. Standing, I frantically searched the debris field of our school but there was no trace of her; I had to hope she was making good on her plan to go for help, but a tiny part of me was worried that I couldn't see her.

I also knew I'd be able to find her quicker as Chat, so I curled around a large chunk of wall and huddled, quietly calling out: "Plagg - claws out!"

The green flash of transformation enveloped me, and I bounded over the concrete and plaster, quickly scanning the space. There was no trace of Marinette anywhere, but the screaming from my classroom told me the akuma had made itself known. Torn between helping my friend versus rescuing the class, I turned back to the classroom and dove through another crack in the wall.

_**Ladybug**_

I rolled down the steps, bumping up against random pieces of debris from the school and came to a rest at the courtyard level. I'd managed just some bumps and scrapes, but everything hurt, too; standing, I saw Adrien at the top of the steps with his back to me. He was moving, albeit slowly, and appeared uninjured. It wasn't the first time he'd done something like that - I flashed on him pushing the two of us into a subway car some months back in an attempt to get away from his bodyguard - but I'd forgotten he was muscular enough to pull it off.

Hesitating, but knowing this was my best chance to get away and transform, I reluctantly left him there and made a run for a pile of something fairly close to what had been the main office. Calling on Tikki, I'd barely finished transforming when the telltale crashes and screams from the classroom above me informed where the akuma had wound up.

Hurling my yo-yo, I pulled myself up and swung over to the side of the classroom just in time to see the tail end of my partner disappear through a sizable crack in the wall. Seeing him dive headlong toward danger was nothing new for me, but for some reason, I felt a certain protective streak developing with respect to my kitty. I dashed to the crack and followed him in.

Chat was huddled behind what was left of Madame Mendeleev's science desk, his feline ears barely poking out around the corner. I vaulted behind him.

"Purrfect timing," he murmured, cocking an ear toward the rear of the space. "Two for two on odd akumas," he added.

"Hawkmoth must be feeling creative today," I agreed. To my eye, this akuma looked nothing more than a collection of sticks and rubber balls that had been connected at random places and suddenly animated. "What is _that_, anyway?"

"Don't you recognize it, Milady?" Chat was actually laughing. "Maybe they teach a different brand of Chemistry at your school."

"What-?" I started.

"It's the representation of dihydrogen monoxide," he said, stifling a chuckle.

"What is so funny about that?" I demanded.

"It's water, Milady. We're being attacked by a very angry representation of water." His laughing eased, and I could see him narrow his feline eyes. "And cats detest water."

Now that he'd given me a bit of an insight, I could clearly see the akuma was based around one of those models Madame Mendeleev often used to help us visualize the bonds between elements. Oddly, she'd actually been walking us through hydrophobic chemistry that morning. Was that her under all of that? I shot a glance at Chat, wondering not for the first time if he was a student in my class.

"Got a plan, Milady?" he asked, eyes still firmly tracking the akuma.

Despite the situation, I smiled. Chat never lost faith in my ability to figure out a solution, and nearly always followed my lead without question. I'd never actually told him how much that sort of unwavering support meant to me; if we got out of this, I'd make a point of bringing it up. I looked back at our akuma and hoped this wouldn't be the first time I let him down. "I need some time," I said. "Can you distract it for a bit?"

"Of course, Milady," he said, smiling. "It's one of my best traits."

And with that, he launched away from me, leaving one bad pun after another in his wake. I smiled wider at his obvious impertinence; the akuma was reacting much as I would have expected, turning it's anger directly at my partner and giving me the time to scan the space with my Lucky Vision. Which, unfortunately, wasn't latching onto anything in the debris-strewn space.

As long a day as it had already been, I was having a hard time taking this tinker-toy of an akuma seriously. A cascade of concrete in my direction had me reevaluate that slightly as I dove for cover; as I rolled through the dust and came up beside what was left of the windows to the classroom, my Lucky Vision finally lit up on the flagpole and the massive French flag fluttering in the breeze. I turned back toward the classroom and saw Chat sail past me, his tail floating behind him; his claws suddenly glowed with red polka dots.

"Chat!" I yelled. "Claws! Flag!"

"On it, Milady!" he cried, and somehow managed to somersault in mid-air to redirect his flight back out the smashed windows.

_**Chat Noir**_

I snagged the flagpole in one arm and looped around it once, landing astride it. I wasn't entirely certain what Ladybug intended to do with the flag or the pole, but I gleefully went at the cord with my claws. Keeping one eye on my handiwork, I semi turned to taunt the akuma closer.

"Anyone ever tell you you're one tall glass of water?" I asked, smiling toothily.

This akuma had yet to speak, so I took the silence as approval.

"Of course, I'm not a huge fan purrsonally," I added conversationally. The first cord shredded and I could see Ladybug had arrived atop a conveniently parked bus. She'd used her yo-yo to snag the other end of the flag, and I quickly repeated the action with the part I'd freed before sliding down to take care of the second connection.

"I like the occasional shower, of course, but anything else, not so much."

Half of the akuma had managed to get through the smashed windows; as I released the second connector, the rest had tumbled out and over the edge, landing in a massive wooden _thump_ on the street below us. Having some sense of what Ladybug was intending now, I grabbed the other half of the flag and saw she'd grabbed the opposite end.

Without saying anything, the two of us jumped at the same moment toward the akuma, unfurling the flag between us as we dropped over it. Our combined weight pushed it down into a heap of chemical model pieces, which skittered out from beneath the canvas and scattered across the pavement. I landed in a crouch on one side, and turned to see Ladybug diving under the fabric only to pop up a moment later with the one connecting rod from the model that had been different than the rest. Deftly, she snapped it over her knee; the purple butterfly appeared, which she nabbed with her yo-yo.

One Miraculous Ladybug later, I was kneeling to help Madam Mendeleev up. "Never underestimate the power of Chemistry," I said, smiling at her confused expression.

"Why am I out here?" she asked. "We're in the middle of a lab!"

"Akuma," Ladybug said hurriedly. She was holding her bug phone and looked a bit distracted.

I frowned at her - normally she didn't jump in when I was consoling the victims. "Exactly. We've just cleared it-"

"No, Chat," she interrupted. "There's _another_ akuma. Across town. We've got to go!"

"Oh!" I turned back to our teacher. "Don't worry," I said quickly. "You're fine now, and it's purrfectly normal to feel a bit fuzzy about the details-"

"_Now_, Chat!"

I glared at my partner as we turned to go. As I rode my baton up into the sky to follow her, I couldn't help some of my displeasure at being rushed appear. "What is up with Hawkmoth today?" I growled as we cleared a roof and headed toward the tall plume of smoke in the general vicinity of the Grand Hotel. "And please tell me that we're not going to have to save the Mayor again in the next twenty minutes. I don't think I have it in me to smile at the moment."

"I hear you," Ladybug said as she sailed along through the sky next to me. "Hawkmoth's never had this many stacked up back to back on us before."

"If only it meant we'd get a week off afterward," I sighed. "Hey - is that Nadjia? It looks like some sort of special report."

Ladybug saw the big television I'd pointed to atop the news station's building. Our second-favorite journalist was breathlessly reading something. "She might have details on the new akuma," Ladybug said as we dropped to a nearby roof to watch for a moment.

"...Dupont; all but two students are accounted for. Repeating our top story at this hour: after an akuma attack at Collège Françoise Dupont, it seems that Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the entire student population save for two students that are unaccounted for and presumed to have perished. This is the first time we know of that Parisians have actually suffered permanent harm from an akuma attack. We don't yet have the names of the students-"

I turned to Ladybug, masked eyes wide. "Dear Lord! We didn't do a final headcount. But everything should have reverted once you cleansed the area!"

"Should," Ladybug nodded. "They can't have gotten far. I bet they are just-"

"Hang on," Nadjia suddenly said, looking offscreen. "We've… we've just been handed the names of the two students who are missing. They are-"

My world narrowed when I heard her say _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_.

_**Ladybug**_

I felt like someone had hit me in the stomach, and had to force myself to listen to Nadjia repeat herself. Only on the second time through did it truly register.

_Adrien. Adrien is missing._

I must have stumbled backwards, for I found myself in the arms of Chat. He looked worse than I felt, but still had the presence of mind to leap to my side when I needed him. "Adrien," I murmured. "He's missing… I didn't save him..."

Chat blanched slightly but recovered. "I'm sure it's a mistake," he said quickly. "He'll turn up."

As we continued to listen to the news broadcast, it was repeated that while no bodies had been found, Marinette's purse and one of Adrien's shoes had reappeared at their seats in the classroom. One of their classmates had seen the ceiling collapse on them, right after they'd pulled her out from where she'd been trapped.

I turned to Chat, knowing that he'd come to visit Marinette a few times and planned to say I was sure they were fine, but for some reason he kept glancing down at his feet. I was about to speak when I registered the frantic beep of my earrings. I grabbed Chat's wrist, as he looked up from his boots, and his ring beeped as well. We dove into an alley, eyes tight shut, detransforming together, one either side of a dumpster that was sheltered from the street.

I heard Chat let out a quizzical 'huh', but didn't have time to ponder it as I held out a macaron to Tikki, and worried about Adrien. The last time I'd seen him, he'd tackled me through a hole in our classroom wall, but I hadn't looked back once I was free. What if he hadn't made it. That would be all my fault.

_**Chat Noir**_

My left shoe was missing. In my original rush to hide and transform, I hadn't noticed before that it had come off, but at least I knew where it was. Sitting on my desk, convincing Paris that I was dead. Marinette, though, I had no idea where she was. The last time I'd seen her, I'd sent her flying through a hole in the wall. I knew I'd emerged on the other side, but in our mad tumble, it was entirely possible she'd been thrown back into the hole.

Plagg swallowed several slices of cheese. I refrained from commenting because I knew he was exhausted, as was I. Still thinking of Marinette, and hoping that she was safe, somewhere, I ignored the ice cold rock that had settled itself in the pit of my stomach and transformed back into Chat Noir. I waited a few moments, before deciding to call out to my partner to see if she was ready. As I opened my mouth, I saw the flash of pink light, and turned away swiftly, shading my eyes from its brightness.

I heard Ladybug apologize, "Sorry, amazing as she is, Tikki is a slow eater." I laughed, as I most definitely did not have the same problem. She stepped out from her side of the dumpster, straightening from a crouch and stretching, before swinging her yo-yo out and heading for the roof. Extending my baton, I followed her up, both of us crossing roofs until we arrived near the Grand Paris Hotel. Surveying the scene, we saw that it was a Sentimonster rather than an akuma, this one looking like it was made from smoke, and trailing little sparks in its wake.

Great. So Hawk Moth was getting a rest, but we were still out fighting. I sighed, deeply. Looking around the side streets, I noticed a young man who was desperately trying to hide, several unconscious forms littered the ground near him. His emotions must have been the ones to set the sentimonster to guarding him, although which emotions they were, I was unsure of.

I pointed this out to Ladybug, and she immediately called for her lucky charm, a roll of teflon tape dropping down to her hand. Using the tape to secure a leaking hose, she then douses the sentimonster with water. I grab a fire extinguisher from the Hotel's lobby, and between the two of us, the sentimonster vanishes, and Ladybug purifies the feather. After an exhausted fist bump (actually two, I make Ladybug give me a second one, because we missed it after our last fight, since we were too busy responding to this one), for which she rolls her eyes, we go our separate ways.

I am way too worried about Marinette to head straight back to school, so I decide to do some investigating and head for the bakery. When I arrive, I find the police talking with Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. Walking over, I ask about the circumstances of her disappearance, and apologize to her parents for not checking on her before heading off to the next fight. Her parents are visibly shaken, but they wave off my apology, saying the only person they blame is Hawk Moth, and that Marinette does have a habit of not being where she is supposed to, so she may still show up. We all agree that it she never leaves her purse behind, and that is the thing that weighs on me the most.

I promise them that I will keep looking for her, and that I'm sure Ladybug will, as well. They thank me, and say that they are sure that she is probably with Adrien, the other missing student, as they were friends. I nod, and tell them that I will check into it, although I knew that Marinette hadn't been with me.

_**Ladybug**_

It isn't often that I'm impatient with Tikki's inability to eat quickly, but right now, it is grating on me. I know she's exhausted. We've fought 2 akumas and a sentimonster in the past 5 hours. All I want to do right now is to go and find Adrien. I have plans to head to both the school and his mansion. I wish I hadn't run off so quickly to transform. At some point I should also drop in on my parents and let them know that I'm alright, that I'm just out searching for Adrien.

First stop: the Agreste Mansion. When I arrived, there were reporters everywhere. The mansion was on lockdown, trying to keep everyone out. I flipped over the high gates and knocked straight on the front door. Adrien's bodyguard opened the door a fraction, but when he saw it was Ladybug standing there, he fully opened the door.

I tried talking with the man who spends more time with Adrien, but he is a man of very few words, and those that he does utter trend towards the monosyllabic. Nathalie was guarding the door to Mr. Agreste's sanctum sanctorum, and something flickered in her eyes when she saw me. I told her that I felt responsible for Adrien's disappearance, as the Miraculous Cure tends to put things back the way they were. I knew that it was not infallible, but never had a person died before, and I apologized to Nathalie, saying that I should have gone back to check on Adrien and the other student that was missing, but right now I was concentrating on Adrien, and was interested in any information she or her employer might have.

Waving me in, she told me the police were in there right now. Entering the room Mr. Agreste was his typically stoic self, showing little emotion over the fact that his son was missing. Officer Raincomprix proved to be more forthcoming with information, saying that there was no trace of either Adrien or Marinette, but even without a body, they were presumed dead, since we were dealing with magic.

Telling them I was focusing my search on Adrien, I let them believe that Chat was interviewing Marinette's parents, which reminded me that I really needed to go and check on them, and let them know that I was alright. After finishing my interview with Officer Raincomprix, I gave him my thanks and headed out towards the bakery. As I was approaching, I saw Chat coming from that direction. Waylaid in my attempt to reach my parents, I took in his agitated state and waved him over to a conveniently close roof. Putting an arm around him, I asked what was wrong.

His eyes were watery as he told me how Marinette was missing, and he'd gone to talk to her parents and the police about what clues they had. He said that all they'd found was her purse, the one I never went anywhere without, but as there was magic involved, and nowhere for Marinette to go once the ceiling collapsed, everyone assumed she was dead. Stroking small circles on his back, I told him that I was sure she was fine, I was more concerned about Adrien's disappearance. A purse could be left behind, but it was much harder to escape a building and be wandering around without a shoe.

**Chat Noir**

I couldn't believe how dismissive of Marinette's disappearance Ladybug was being. She wanted to focus on her search for me, but I knew that I wasn't missing. Marinette was, and the more time that passed, the less chance that we had of finding her. Every time I suggested somewhere to look for Marinette, she kept bringing us around to Adrien's disappearance.

Growing more and more frustrated with each passing second, I finally just grabbed Ladybug and pulled her to a rooftop a short distance from the bakery that had a low wall around it and a shed, where I knew we'd be neither seen nor disturbed. Pulling her into a sheltered nook by the shed, and without truly thinking through what I was doing, I angrily dropped my transformation. Ladybug was stunned, and covered her eyes, but I roughly pulled her hands away, ordering her to look at me.

Her eyes popped open, more at the growl in my voice rather than the roughness of my movements, her being much stronger than I in my civilian state. "Look at me." I ordered her. "Adrien Agreste is NOT missing. Now can we please focus on the search for Marinette?"

Ladybug's reaction was not the one I was expecting, however. Instead of turning her laser focus to the search for Marinette, or even chastising me for revealing myself, she dropped to the ground, shaking. As she wheezed in a breath, clutching her stomach, I dropped to my knees next to her, prepared to render whatever aid I could, when I realized that she was cackling with laughter. Several minutes were wasted as she laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks, rendered completely incapable of coherent speech, or probably even thought.

Eventually, she pulled herself together enough to rasp out my name. "Adrien. You're Adrien? Chat Noir is Adrien Agreste." I thought this would send her back into paroxysms of laughter again, but she was able to pull herself together. I glared at her until she was completely serious once again, and she grinned up at me, dropping her transformation in a flash of pink light. "I think what we should be focusing on is a reasonable excuse as to where we were, and why we didn't know that we were presumed dead."

"_Marinette._" I breathed her name, and fought hard against the urge to collapse in a fit of giggles, much as she had. The combination of relief and possibly the worst joke in the world had me shaking my head in stunned disbelief. "We wouldn't be lying if we said that we had spent the afternoon together." I suggested. When she asked what we would have been doing that we hadn't seen any of the news broadcasts, I just waggled my eyebrows at her. Her face turned a shade of red that rivaled her suit and she swatted at my arm. "Chat!" She sighed and changed the subject. "Do you know how thoroughly they searched the school? Could they have missed a spot that we ended up trapped in? Tikki could lock us in somewhere."

I thought about it for a while. "There is a seldom used janitor's closet on the ground floor, near the doors to the boiler room. We can check and see if it has a lock."

* * *

When the night custodian arrived to clean the building that evening, he was shocked to discover two kids, locked into the cleaning supplies closet, curled together fast asleep on the floor. The boy's arms were wrapped tightly around the girl's waist, and her head rested on his chest. The boy was missing one shoe, but other than being a little dirty, they seemed completely unharmed. The custodian called the principal and the police reporting that he believed he had found the two missing teens. Waking them he asked their names, and upon confirming their identities, he wrapped them in blankets and fed them some food he found in the canteen.

They told him of how they had escaped through a hole in the wall when the ceiling started to collapse on them, and moving blindly in their panic and tumbled through a hole in the floor. When Ladybug had healed the city, the cracks in the closet had closed up, and they found themselves locked in. Because of the commotion outside, nobody had heard them calling to be let out of the closet. Eventually, exhausted from the let down of the adrenaline rush, they'd fallen asleep in the closet, and had remained there until they were found.

Parents were called, and Marinette and Adrien returned to their respective homes. Nobody was terribly surprised, however, when Adrien stopped by the bakery the next morning to walk Marinette to school, and the two arrived at College Francois Dupont, fingers intertwined, drawing strength and comfort from each other, as they faced the day, and their schoolmates myriad of questions.


	28. Community Service

July 28: Community Service

_Author's Note: Epcot97 back with you once more on a solo piece. Marinette was so successful at her pet adoption back in May, she hatches a plan to have Chat and Ladybug help out during a Paris-wide community volunteering event. Chat's a little skeptical that they are the right people for the job - until he discovers they truly are._

_You'd think by the end of our third month of trying, we might now, finally, own some piece of _Miraculous_. We don't. Not even a teensy tiny part. Our team is getting a bit disillusioned._

_Lyra: Well, I might not have a piece of Miraculous, but it has a piece of me - my heart._

* * *

Ladybug brought it up after we'd handled Monsieur Ramier for what had to have been the hundredth time. As unexciting as it was to face the same akuma over and over again, I was loath to admit to my partner that I actually looked forward to the ice cream he generally bought us after we'd calmed him back down again. That particular day was no different; I'd just polished off my usual double-decker cone and had stood to take my leave before my ring completely discharged when she caught my arm.

"Chat, are you busy this weekend?" she asked as we waved to Monsieur Ramier and started to cross the plaza.

That was a tricky one for me to answer, for Marinette had managed to rope the entire school into participating in Make A Difference Day, a Paris-wide event where volunteers would descend on the community for various service projects. My alter-ego had, of course, signed up, but I had to admit, if there was a _chance _she wanted to hang with me… "No, Milady," I lied.

"Great!" she said. "I've been asked if the two of us could help out with Make a Difference Day for a local school. I heard you did a bang-up job when you worked that adoption event a few months ago, so having the two of us on board should drive some signups."

"Of course, Milady," I said freezing a model smile on my face. Now I'd have to figure out how to extricate Adrien so Chat could appear. And I wasn't terribly surprised Marinette had roped Ladybug into something, though I had no idea she knew her purrsonally.

We parted ways after agreeing to meet up about an hour before the event started that Saturday. I was half tempted to swing past Marinette's place on my way back to the mansion but thought better of it; besides, what could Chat say to her, anyway? Then again, our relationship had really started to blossom, so even a few minutes with her would be worth the side trip.

I landed on her rooftop patio, but she wasn't hanging out; that was unusual, given how nice the afternoon was. I trotted over to the skylight and tapped it with my claws, but her pigtails didn't appear.

_Where is she? _I wondered.

Shrugging, I leapt off the balcony and continued onward toward the mansion. I was completely on autopilot, sailing over the rooftops while reviewing the homework I needed to get done that evening. Work had piled up slightly for me given we seemed to be in one of Hawkmoth's more manic cycles, with one or two akumas each day to deal with. I was so lost in thought that I nearly didn't catch the shadow just beyond my bedroom window as I was somersaulting toward it.

I managed to twist at the last minute and land on the windowsill in a perch, one hand on the base and the other holding my baton in quasi-defense mode. Marinette was staring at me, eyes wide, from where she was sitting on my couch. "Chat?" she said quizzically. "Why are you here?"

_Merde. She was coming over to work on volunteer assignments today_, I remembered just a little too late.

Thinking quickly, I smiled my Chat smile and dropped down. "You told me you'd be here," I said smoothly. "Ladybug's just let me know we're helping out, so I thought I'd get a head start and see what you need me to do."

"I did?" she said, frowning.

"Pawsitive," I confirmed, hoping my dazzling smile would confuse her further. "Where's Adrien? Isn't he co-leader or something?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "but apparently he's not back from Fencing yet."

I groaned internally. I was really off my game today; all of my stuff was back in the locker at the gym – not to mention Gorilla and the sedan. I _really _needed to get back, but trying to extricate Chat might prove interesting. "Oh," I said, then slid into the seat next to her. "Guess that means we get some alone time, then," I laughed, casually draping my arm around her.

"Chat!" she said, halfheartedly swatting at me. "We're guests!"

Seeing as though it _was _my room, it wasn't really an issue for me, but I played along and pulled back. But not before playfully rubbing my mane against her. "We'll pick this up later, Princess," I purred.

"Promises, purromises," she laughed.

I hung around for a few more minutes and when it became apparent that Adrien wasn't appearing (go figure), I apologized and excused myself. Marinette stood as well. "It's unusual for him to forget," she said as she headed for the door. "I'll text him and reschedule."

"Probably for the best," I said as I launched out the window and hid on a nearby rooftop to make sure Marinette actually left. Once I saw her pigtails heading for the Metro, I booked to the gym to grab my gear and met Gorilla where he'd been patiently waiting for me at the curb.

Our school schedule kept Marinette from doing more than texting, which allowed me to get away with a text message telling her I (Adrien) wouldn't be able to participate on Saturday. I didn't get anything back from her, which was odd.

I rolled out of bed early on Saturday, having agreed to meet Ladybug around 0700. "Ready?" she asked with a big smile.

I'd barely landed in my pounce-crouch. "Uh, sure, Milady," I said - but it was to her retreating back, for she'd already hurled her yo-yo into the air and was off. Not expecting a race, I had to vault extra-hard and then vault again off the next rooftop just to pull even with her.

"Care to tell me where we are headed?" I asked, once I was close enough for her to hear me.

"St. Francis Home," she said. "We're playing Bingo with some seniors."

_Bingo? Really?_ I tried to keep the shock off my face. "Milady, I assumed Marinette wanted us to be, uh, visible…"

"I agree it might not be our target audience," she said, glaring a bit at me as she lassoed another chimney, "but service is service. We help out where we are needed the most, and this happens to be where I-uh, where Marinette wanted to send us."

"Of course, Milady," I said perfunctory. No stranger to service activities - Adrien had been sighted doing trash pickup along roadways on more than one occasion - I had naturally expected to be the featured couple for the event. Perhaps that was a tiny trace of supermodel arrogance peeking out, assuming that Bingo was an undignified activity. I chastised myself for even going down that road and resolved to make the experience a fun one for the crowd.

The senior home was a modern structure near the heart of the city; our guide gave us a quick tour, and I was impressed with the way the facility had been designed. This was not the retirement home of yore; it was filled to the brim with active space, including three workout rooms, an Olympic pool in the center courtyard, a bowling alley and a one-hundred seat cinema. We were shown into a multipurpose space where airwalls had been rolled back. To my surprise, the endless rows of tables were full with expectant faces, all turned toward us as we entered.

"We've been telling the residents for days that the two of you would be coming," our guide told us with a smile. "Nearly everyone is here." She paused. "Everything is ready! You can start when you want."

There was a slightly raised platform at the front of the room, and I automatically leapt to the top; the cheering that accompanied my action froze me in place. Turning, I scanned the crowd, masked green eyes widening in wonder. Nearly half were wearing cat-ear headbands; the rest were sporting Ladybug pigtails, gender notwithstanding. I turned back to Ladybug, who was nodding with a smile.

"What do you say?" she asked. "Should we get the ball rolling?" she added, inclining her head toward the round cage containing the Bingo ping-pong balls.

I rolled my eyes. "Cats don't generally fetch balls, Milady," I said, eyes narrowing with my laughter. "But I will make an exception in this case." I reached over her to the microphone. "_Hello Saint Francis!_" I cried, eliciting cheers. "_Are you READY?!"_

We started off easily enough, with me rolling the cage, and then Ladybug calling out the numbers; but then we kicked it up a notch. I started to pull the white balls out of the cage and used my baton to bat them to her on the far side of the room; she'd leap up, catch it, and call it out before hitting the ground.

Then we reversed, with Ladybug randomly sending the little white orbs through the air, forcing me to vault, tumble and somersault to retrieve them before calling out the letter-and-number combination. By the time we hit the second hour, we'd gone full Cirque du Soleil; at one point, I was hanging upside down from the side of my baton, catching balls in a paw one after the other. Then Ladybug lassoed one of the hanging light fixtures and swung across the stage, grabbing the latest orb from me as she passed.

As we neared lunch time, I completed another circuit of the room and determined that nearly everyone had at least one winning card. At that point we called a halt the proceedings and got down to the real business of the day: nearly all of them wanted a selfie with one or both of us, though to a person, they assured us it was for a grandchild and not them. They were so genuine, it was hard not to believe them. But we took plenty of extras, just in case.

We waited by the exit and said goodbye; my paw was a little sore with all of the handshaking I'd done. Carefully putting down the last octogenarian that had surprisingly leapt into my arms, I gently kissed her cheek-and-cheek and wished her well. I couldn't help but see her sweet smile and slight blush as she turned and methodically worked her way down the hall toward lunch.

I looked back at Ladybug and the empty room beyond. "That was amazing," I said.

"Everyone needs a hero, Chat," she smiled softly. "And love comes in many different forms." She leaned up and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "I wanted you to see that."

My masked eyes widened. "It really does, doesn't it?" I said, seeing the experience had played out quite differently than I'd assumed it would. "I'm sorry for making light earlier; you know I'd do anything for anyone in the city."

"I do," she said as we started for the exit ourselves. "Sometimes, it's helpful to remind ourselves of how much we're valued by others, too," she added soberly. "But that doesn't mean we can't also have fun with it from time to time."

I stopped her on the sidewalk outside the building, and spontaneously hugged her. "I'll hold you to that last part, Milady," I laughed.

"I was afraid you might say that," she laughed. "Which is why we'd better get going."

I frowned. "I thought-"

"It's called 'Make a Difference _Day_,' Chat," she reminded me. "How are you at chess?"

My alter-ego was a master. "Pretty good," I hedged, "why?"

"I hear the first responders at Station One have one or two Grand Masters in their midst. Ready for a challenge?"

"Anything for you, bugaboo," I laughed as we leapt out into the brilliant day.


	29. Kwami Swap

July 29: Kwami Swap

_Author's Note: Epcot97 here; I'm glad this was one of the last prompts for the month, for it proved to be more of a challenge to write than I had anticipated. Fortunately, an appropriate akuma dropped out of the sky and created the purrfect situation for our duo. _

_Ep: Plagg was kind enough to let me try on the ring as research for this chapter. I know the costume is supposed to represent what we want the most, but I have to admit I didn't expect to look like Mister Spock. In black leather. _

_CM: Could you just Vulcan Nerve Pinch someone at ZAG headquarters? Or mind meld with them and give them the idea to give us the rights?_

* * *

I was pushing myself more than I'd ever pushed before as Chat Noir, and was barely able to stay ahead of whatever robotic nonsense the latest akuma had spawned. The alert had gone out just as I'd started the lunch hour at school, and for a brief moment I lamented not having bolted the last of my ham and cheese croissant sandwich. I'd quickly snuck away from Nino and the rest of my friends to transform, but on my way to meet Ladybug, had picked up the first electronic remora.

I'd barely lifted myself to the sky when I felt a pinch on my leg; looking down, a small teardrop of something had attached itself to my costume, glinting as though it were metal in the sunshine. I'd reached down and found it nearly impossible to dislodge; only after pausing on a rooftop proper and using both paws to pry it off had I managed to remove it.

My costume didn't appear damaged, but there wasn't much time to think about it. Two more of the critters flew out of nowhere and landed on an arm and the other leg. Those were even harder to get off, and when my feline ears heard the buzzing of a third round heading my way, I'd bolted into the sky in a random direction and had tried to stay ahead of them ever since.

Magically, Ladybug appeared in the air beside me at some point, trailing similarly looking devices in her wake. In a detached way, I noted that hers were shaped like long cylinders but glinted in the sun the same as my teardrop terrors. Wondering slightly if the shapes were significant, I intentionally crossed paths with Ladybug; she seemed to be on the same wavelength and dove across and away from me.

The teardrops followed me; the cylinders stayed with her.

Nearing Trocadero, the sky had begun to darken; clouds of the small devices were hovering in the space, buzzing like small insects, and as we approached, I realized that despite my seeming randomness in choosing a route, I'd in fact been herded with my partner to this exact destination.

Hovering near the center of the plaza was a sizable, vaguely person-shaped drone; where the head should have been, a sphere sat. It had a slit running along the circumference, sporting a red sensor that slowly turned in our direction. Multiple appendages with dangerous looking gadgets studded the exterior, as well as two compartments that appeared to be generating and then releasing the distinct shapes of teardrops and cylinders that had been chasing us. We continued to move around the plaza in an attempt to stay out of reach of the smaller drones, but I could see the larger cloud of devices starting to move in our direction.

Not good.

I dove from a parapet and hit the ground in a tuck-and-roll, yanking my baton out in the process and swatting back a swath of devices before leaping behind a city bus that had just pulled up at the curb. Like angry bees, the teardrop devices hit the side of the bus and upended it, and I barely scooted out from beneath it as it tipped, smashing to the ground in a resounding crash of metal and glass.

Batting away the teardrops, a dozen of which had latched on to me, I rode the baton up to the side of the bus and kicked in a window. Save for a shell-shocked driver, the bus was otherwise empty. Hurriedly, I smashed what was left of the windshield, then covered the driver with my body to help him out and away from the smoking hulk, picking up another dozen of the teardrops for my troubles.

I could see Ladybug dropping behind the bus for cover, using her yo-yo to push back some of the attacking drones. The noise from all of the circulating technology was especially deafening to my feline ears, which I had partially flattened in defense. It therefore took a moment for me to register that my ring had started to chirp.

Holding it up, I could clearly see two pads had gone, yet I knew I'd not called for Cataclysm. Twisting as best as I could, I lost count at thirty-five of the teardrop remoras; studded all over my costume now, they were clearly and efficiently draining Plagg.

Clever.

I found myself yelling to my partner. "I think they are keyed on us!" I shouted as I tried to pry off a few more. "They're discharging my ring! How are your earrings?"

"What?" she hollered back.

I somersaulted around yet another dive bombing raid, moving a few meters closer. "Your earrings!"

Ladybug cupped a hand around an ear, I could immediately see her frown. She mouthed a particularly bad word, then yelled back: "They must be reading some sort of bio/energy signature when they attach to us!"

"And transmit it back! I agree!" I yelled back, feeling my voice start to go hoarse. "And the akuma seems able to replicate more on the fly!"

Ladybug crept a bit toward me, swatting back another wave. I could see her back was covered, sequin style, with those cylindrical remoras; I had no idea how many were on me now, but could feel the added drag as I moved through the air. Too many more and I'd have the modern equivalent of chainmail covering me from bell to boots..

"I have an idea," she yelled. "Get over here!"

I dove under a stream of drones, then leapt sideways around another, and only managed a few meters. "What's the plan?"

"We swap!"

"Swap what?!"

"Give me your ring, and take my earrings!"

I blinked at her, masked eyes going wide. "That's nuts!" I leapt again, getting a little closer. "That's _totally _nuts! There's no way we're doing that!"

"It's our only chance!" she yelled back. "I don't see another option! This akuma is keyed in on us somehow - our specific transformations!"

I ducked to narrowly avoid another attack of the drones as they sailed over my feline ears, then leapt sideways toward Ladybug's position behind the overturned city bus. Despite being directly next to her, the violence raging around us (courtesy of the akuma) required me to continue to yell. "You _seriously _think it would make a difference?"

Ladybug turned toward me. I didn't normally question her plan, but she read the doubt in my expression. "Honestly, I'm not sure," she yelled back. "The distraction may only buy us a few moments at best, but based on how this is going, it might be enough."

My masked green eyes went wide. "If you think that's best, Milady," I yelled, "I'm in, of course. How do you want to proceed?"

Despite the carnage raining down upon us, Ladybug found a moment to smile. She leaned into me and pushed my shaggy mane away from a human ear. "I only see one tiny problem…"

I groaned, loud enough to be heard over the drones. "How is this going to work, exactly? My ears aren't even pierced!" There was no way to explain to her how poorly my father would react should I suddenly appear at my next photo shoot with holes in my ears.

"I suspect it will just work," she smiled. "But we need to get away from this for a moment."

The bus we were leaning against seemed like a good option, but I also spied a small iron door set into the side of the ornamental wall we were close to. Ladybug caught my glance and we both dove for the door, rolling out just in front of it. I smashed the lock with several blows from the baton, then pulled it open.

Ladybug scooted in and I scampered behind her, quickly turning to pull the door closed. I held tight and watched in fascinated horror as it dented inward at the force of the drones that had tried to follow us. Once the fusillade faded, I turned toward the main part of the small room. My night vision kicked in as the space was shrouded in darkness; Ladybug was hovering next to me.

"There's a small ledge just beside you, Milady," I said, my voice echoing in the relative quiet of the space. I took her hand in my paw and placed it on the edge. "I'll leave my ring here, you can put your earrings next to it."

"Okay," she said.

"Are you sure about this?"

"No," she said honestly. "As I said, I think we'll have only a few moments before they lock on again. We need to take out the akuma in that brief moment we get."

"Well," I smiled, knowing she couldn't see it, "I'll take your uncertainty over anyone's truth any day." I paused. "I'm closing my eyes now."

"Same here."

"Plagg - claws in."

I felt the de-transformation wash over me, and to my surprise, heard a metallic tinkle as my remora tumbled to the stony floor. As they didn't appear interested in re-attaching themselves to me, a tiny flicker of hope appeared that Ladybug was onto something. Fishing out cheese for Plagg, I held it up and felt the whisper of air as he swooshed in to pluck it out of my fingers.

"You heard what we're thinking?" I asked him, my now empty fingers immediately going to the ring.

"Yes," he said as I heard him munch.

"Okay." I slid the ring off my finger and carefully placed it on the ledge.

I heard Ladybug drop her transformation and have a similar conversation with her kwami. A moment later, I felt her hand on mine; I turned up a palm, and she dropped the earrings into it. "Ready?"

"No," I said. "And I look terrible in polka dots."

"Something tells me your version of my costume will be a tad different."

"That's what I'm afraid of." I took one of the earrings and pressed it to my ear, and felt something cold spike through my lobe; groaning at the seeming permanence of my act, I pushed the backing on until it clicked. I repeated the operation on the other ear, and then took a deep breath.

"Don't worry, Chat," a cheerful voice whispered in my ear. "We've got this."

"A much needed voice of confidence," I replied. "Tikki - spots on!"

I felt the transformation wave wash over me, and was surprised that it felt different; I'd have been hard pressed to explain _how_ I knew it was different, but it was. Once the tingle faded, I kept my eyes tightly shut, but ran a gloved hand over my head. The ears were missing, of course, and when I pressed my hand for my face, could feel the outline of a mask essentially the same shape and size as normal. Gently patting around my waist revealed the yo-yo had appeared in place of my trusty baton.

This would take some getting used to.

"Milady, you're up."

I heard her take a deep breath and say "Plagg - claws out." Despite squeezing my eyes, the green flash - _my _green flash - was still visible. My eyes popped open and as accustomed to my night vision as I was, I had a brief moment of panic when the space remained dark.

Ladybug laughed, clearly seeing my panicked expression. "It's nice to be the one to have that advantage for once," she teased, and I felt her gloved hand on my arm.

I reached up to put my paw on her hand, but nicked one of her claws on the way; oddly, I found myself more than a little bit jealous and just a tad upset. As much as I loved Ladybug, it felt like a bit of a personal violation that she was, well, now _me._

She must have seen _that_ on my face, too. I'm terrible at keeping my emotions from surfacing. "Don't worry," she said. "You will always be Chat Noir - no one could ever replace you." She waited for a beat. "Not even me."

My inner green monster started to respond, but I managed to choke it back before getting myself into trouble. In a moment of insight, I found myself wondering if she might feel the same about me donning her mantle. The two of us had played our roles as Chat and Ladybug for so long now, the role reversal _had_ to have some emotional impact on her, too.

Whatever mask (or ears) we happened to be wearing, we were still a team, dedicated to each other. The anger and jealousy melted into the warmth of appreciation that fate had paired me with this incredible girl. "I could never replace you either, bugaboo," I said softly. "I can only succeed you."

She gave my bicep a squeeze. "Okay, Mister Bug-"

"Wait, what?"

"Well, you can't be Chat Noir, dressed like that."

"Lovely," I groaned, unable to see in the darkness what costume had appeared. "So what does that make you then? Lady Noir?"

"Works for me." She paused. "Do your ears itch?" she asked suddenly; I could hear her raking a claw through her hair.

Despite everything, I grinned. "Only the first time I transformed," I said. "And it's not itching. That is you feeling them there for the first time. Like the tail, you'll get used to it."

"Ah," she replied as she moved me back toward the door. "I don't have much of a plan, Bug," she started as we paused, hand on the door. "I think the akuma is in the head portion of that drone. Maybe you should call up the Lucky Charm before we go out so we know what we've got to work with."

"Spot on-er, catastic as always, Milady," I said, trying to adjust to our new reality. After all this time punning as Chat Noir, it was hard to change gears. I snapped the yo-yo off my waist and tossed it upwards slightly, knowing our space was cramped. "Lucky Charm!"

The space burst into life with ladybug helpers, and a small unremarkable box with one button dropped into my paws - no, wait, _hands_. Without thinking, I turned to where Lady Noir was standing and said: "What do I do with this?"

I could hear the arched eyebrow in her response. "Press the button, I think."

"Not funny. I'd figured _that_ part out," I said curtly as I rolled my eyes. "But you always look around and find out how this piece fits into the plan. I'm not seeing anything."

"Yet," she amended for me. "Lucky Vision tends to appear when the materials I need are at hand." She paused again. "I think this is where I take your role and distract it for a bit."

My heart skipped a beat. "Milady, I don't like the thought of you-" I started, the Chat impulses to hard to tamp down.

The hand was on my bicep again. "I'll be careful," she said gently. "You make it look easy anyway - how hard can it be?"

I felt myself blanch - there was no way I would have ever let her know how many blows I'd taken as Chat Noir to make the time she usually needed to set up her Lucky Charm. The joking had always been my way to assuage any concerns she might have had. Clearly I'd done a better job that I'd thought. "You'd be surprised," I said quietly.

"What was that?" I'd forgotten she had my feline hearing, too.

"If you are right," I said hurriedly, "those devices will only take a few seconds to correct for our new reality."

"Then you'll need to press the button quickly," she quipped.

"Hey!" I said. "I'm not _that_ sarcastic, am I?"

"Eye of the beholder," she laughed. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I said morosely. I hefted the box in one paw - dang it - _hand_ \- and tried to spin the yo-yo the way I'd seen Ladybug do it a million times. It was far harder than she made it look.

_Touche_, I thought.

We took a mutual breath and then kicked the door open together; I rolled out into the sunshine, slightly off-balance. My tail normally helped out in my movements, and it took me a few moments to get adjusted to navigating without it. Our akuma hadn't moved and was waiting as we bounded around the upended bus; as we'd expected, the smaller drones appeared to be ranging and didn't make a move toward either of us.

"Milady-" I started, turning, and caught my breath. I took a mental snapshot of my partner, now rocking her feline costume. It was a variation on my own Chat Noir outfit but most definitely with her imprint upon it. Her pigtails had been replaced by a long braided ponytail, capped by two exquisitely placed triangular cat ears; her masked eyes had gone to the wide green sclera that I usually wore, and her overall outfit was Chat-black. But here and there were Ladybug-esque accents of green that made the costume her own.

It was only a fraction of a second that I took to take it all in, and no small part of me hoped we'd have a few moments after this akuma for a closer examination. Snapping back to the present, I rolled again and came up on the far side of our akuma. "Milady, distract away!"

She nodded and leapt up into the air, easily using my - ugh, _her_ \- baton as if it were a natural extension. "Bug, is this where I'm supposed to pun?" she yelled as she tumbled over the drone, gently giving it a love tap with one end of the baton. The akuma turned toward her as she landed in a cat-crouch on the far side of the plaza.

"Yes, Milady," I replied, scanning the space. Nothing lit up as I expected it to until my eyes dropped back to the box in my hand. It suddenly shaded polka-dots, and I looked back toward my partner, chagrined. "I think you're right," I yelled over to her.

"Usually I am," she deadpanned as she leapt sideways. "It would be easier for you to accept that up front, Bug."

I shook my head. Plagg was _definitely_ having an influence on her. "Get Cataclysm ready!"

"Will do," she said, landing again in a crouch and positioning herself to leap back toward the drone. I could see her shaking an arm. "They're starting to stick," she yelled back. "Press the button!"

I held the box toward the akuma, unsure what I was triggering and wanting to have it as far from me as I could get it. Only then did I catch the red-and-black coloring of my costumed arms, with the occasional polka-dot for emphasis. That, and the three cylindrical remoras that landed on my inner arm.

Squeezing my masked eyes shut for good measure, I pressed the button.

A rather anticlimactic _click_ issued from the box; a moment later, though, it started to rain mini-drones, the tinkling of their shells hitting the pavement filling the plaza with strange melodic tones. I opened my eyes and saw the akuma's rotating red scanner eye had gone out. I looked back at the unprepossessing box once more, now with greater respect. The Lucky Charm had been some sort of electromagnetic pulse generator, and had quite efficiently fried all of the electronics surrounding us.

I looked back to Lady Noir, wearing a _you'd-never-have-come-up-with-that-one _grin. "Go!"

She looked at my grin quizzically, then sprang into the air and across my line of sight, gently touching the fingertips of her hand atop the sphere of the head as she gracefully arced over the now static drone, and landed in a fairly good imitation of my pounce crouch.

The sphere turned to dust, and the purple butterfly appeared.

"That's your cue, Bug," she said, inclining a feline ear toward the busily escaping butterfly.

"Oh, right!" I found it hard to pry my gaze off of those insanely cute feline ears of hers to look at the yo-yo in my hand. I tapped it just as Ladybug always did; it split open and I twirled it in the general direction of the butterfly. It took two shots but I managed to nab it and release the pure white version a few moments later.

Once the akuma's spell broke, a bespectacled middle-aged man appeared on hands-and-knees. I started to go to him per normal, only to see Lady Noir drop to his side. She looked meaningfully at the box still in my hands, and I got the hint.

Tossing it up into the air, I cried: "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The little red helpers swarmed the city righting the damage our latest akuma had wrought, and as I snapped the yo-yo back on my waist, LC had gotten our victim onto his feet and on his way home. "Biomechanical engineer," she said quietly. "Underappreciated and overworked, apparently," she added, but stopped as her eyes did a top-to-bottom on me.

"Well, it's not you, but it's close," I said, twirling in a three-sixty for her, model-style. "But I'll be honest. I'd rather be a cat than a bug." I took a longer look at my partner, and added with a knowing narrowing of the eyes, "You, however, look exceptional."

She blushed slightly, but her next actions sent my cheeks into bloom. "Don't sell yourself short, Bug," she said, trailing a claw along the line where the black fabric met the red on my chest. "This accents your… assets… rather handsomely."

My hand shot to the back of my neck and I cleared my throat. "That's kind of you, Milady… uh…"

The twin chirps of my earrings and her ring warned us that our mutual admiration society was about to come to an abrupt end. I glanced meaningfully back at the small room we'd used before; she frowned and rode her baton up and into the sky. I followed her on the yo-yo, which was a little easier to now that I slightly more comfortable with it, and found her atop one of our favorite roofs that had an excellent view of the Seine.

I landed close to her and stood, hearing the warning chirps but taking another long look at my partner. "I trust you," she said. "Just close your eyes and de-transform; I'll do the same, and we'll swap back. We can transform properly after we've fed our respective kwamis."

My masked eyes widened. "I only have cheese," I said. "Do you-"

"Yes," she smiled, her eyes straying to my hair. It was as wild and flyaway as always.

"What?" I asked.

"You need ears up there," she replied. "It's just wrong without them."

I nodded. "Same with your pigtails," I said quietly. "But you should consider a ponytail in the future. It's rather… attractive."

"Good to know," she laughed.

I closed my eyes, and trusted she had done the same. "TIkki - spots off!"

The reverse tingle washed over me, and I reached up to one ear and gently removed the jewel; to my surprise, I couldn't even feel there had been any piercing in the first place. After pulling off the mate, I reached out and felt Ladybug's hand, and traded her the earrings for my ring.

A moment later, I felt Plagg hovering by my ear. "I'm back, kid," he said.

There were a million things I wanted to say to my kwami; as irascible as he was, and as kind as Tikki appeared to be, Plagg was a part of my life now and I couldn't imagine him not in it. In those brief moments I stood there, eyes closed with him floating nearby, it occurred to me that he really was the first true friend I'd ever had. No - no, he was more than that, wasn't he? He was nearly family now. Giving him up even briefly had affected me more than I'd realized.

I wondered if Ladybug was having those same thoughts, but didn't know how to broach the topic.

I held up the cheese I'd fished out of my pocket, furvently hoping we'd get a bit of a break so I could replenish my stash. I felt the weight lift as Plagg pulled it from me. He wasn't very quiet as he snarfed down the cheese, and I could also hear Tikki munching on something crunchy. It was weird standing there, knowing the love of my life was just a meter away; but I also respected her enough that I had no desire to peek.

Well, maybe a _tiny_ desire.

But I valued my relationship with her too much to do something stupid.

At length, I heard her say: "Ready when you are, Chat."

"Plagg - claws out!"

"Tikki - spots on!"

My masked eyes opened to find my partner smiling at me. "Hey," she said simply. "Good to have you back."

"I could say the same, Milady," I replied, a non-Chat smile on my face as I did my traditional bow. "So," I said as I looked back up again, a somewhat sly expression on my face. "What did you think?"

"About what?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, come _on_," I groaned. "You got to wield the power of destruction for the first time. It had to have affected you somehow."

"It did," she said, as she stepped a bit closer to me. Unexpectedly, she reached up and took the tip of one of my feline ears between her gloved fingers, sending a shudder of feeling through me.

I felt myself closing my masked eyes in response. "And… uh… how so?" I croaked.

"I had no idea what sort of chances you were taking, Chat. And how emboldened you feel to take them with Plagg backing you." She paused, then added, more quietly. "And I now understand _why_ you do it, too."

"You… you do?" I breathed.

"Yes," she said. "Being on the other side of the mask, as it were, gave me a new perspective."

Just as unexpectedly, she tentatively moved in and kissed me, gently. As Ladybug pulled back she said: "I'm not completely there yet, Chat. But I think we can actually thank Hawkmoth for that akuma; I've taken a big step today." She paused, her blue eyes searching my wide green ones. "I think I'm willing to go down that path now, but I need to talk it over with Tikki."

Was this really happening? Had swapping our kwamis opened her eyes to my feelings for her? I tried to tamp down my runaway heart as it threatened to burst from my chest. "Of course, Milady," I replied. Then I added what had to have been the most difficult thing I'd ever said: "When you _are_ ready, I will be here for you. As always."

"I know that, now," she smiled at me. "Fur real."

I arched a masked eyebrow at her. "I believe that is _my_ pun, LB."

She hefted her yo-yo and sagged a chimney. "I think it's meowyond time for us to expand our partnership, Chat," she laughed as she leapt into the air. "I've got to scat! Catch you later."

I stared after my partner, well aware of the goofy smile I was wearing. It was hard to believe the cosmic shift that had just taken place; the only thing that could possibly have rivaled it would have been revealing our civilian identities to each other. Hefting my baton, I extended it to start my trek toward home.

I'd never been afraid of the future; now, more than ever, I found myself looking forward to what was to come.


	30. Inspiration

**Day 30: Inspiration**

_Lyra: You know, when I saw the word "inspiration" on the prompts for this month, I honestly had no idea what to write. I really didn't. So I imagined myself as Marinette and spent a long time looking at pictures of Paris. I went there once when I was 16, but my memories mostly consist of climbing the stairs of the Eiffel Tower and walking with my group through the red light district and feeling terrified lol. SO - I went to the internet, which didn't let me down. Inspiration found. Paris is beautiful. Don't we all forget how beautiful the places we see all the time are?_

_CM: Last time I was in Paris I was 18 months old..._

_PSST. Guys. While I was researching Paris, I found a guy who knows a guy who can get us staff ID badges to Zag. Maybe we can sneak in and somehow claim rights to Miraculous - because we definitely don't have rights to it now._

* * *

I've always been a walking ball of creativity. Thoughts and ideas usually spring out of me - often at the most inconvenient of times, like the night before a big test. But lately, it was like the well of inspiration had run dry.

Part of me wondered, as I stared at the blank sketchbook on my lap, if my double life stress as Ladybug had killed all the creativity out of me. I had been so busy battling bad guys, putting together plans to defeat Hawkmoth, running around the rooftops of Paris that I just hadn't felt any sparks. I was worn thin. Exhaustion was definitely not the way to get inspired.

The sound of my alarm reminded me that, once again, I was due to meet up with my partner to patrol the city.

Deciding that maybe after our run was done for the night, I would try sitting at the foot of the Eiffel Tower to see if anything clicked, I tucked my book and pencils into a small backpack and slipped it on before calling Tikki to transform me.

Thankfully, the suit made all my extras disappear somewhere, but would return it all when I reverted back.

It was a crisp night - the sky above me twinkling with a million stars. Something that truly should inspire me, but honestly didn't. What if it never came back? What if my hopes of becoming a fashion designer flopped before I could even try? The thought made me frown.

Chat was waiting in our usual meeting spot, casually leaning on his staff with that crooked smirk he loved to wear.

"Good evening, My Lady." His voice purred, looking somewhat like a kitten who had found a bowlful of cream and was up to no good.

"Hey Kitty," I responded, realizing a little too late that my voice sounded flat and dull. Hopefully he wouldn't notice. He did. His eyes narrowed slightly in my direction, the smirk falling slightly as he studied my face.

"What's wrong, Ladybug?" Genuine concern marred his handsome features so I tried to make an attempt at smiling. I was sure it wasn't convincing.

"Nothing, Chat. I just am tired." Definitely not convincing.

"Not buying it, LB. Talk to me. What's going on?" Darned cat. He just didn't know how to leave things alone. How could I explain the struggle I was having with my creativity without giving myself away?

Since we obviously weren't going to start patrol, I flopped on the rooftop and sat slumped over.

"It's really nothing much, kitty. I've just being doing so much as Ladybug that I think I've killed my creative spark. I usually have a million and one ideas for everything, but lately…. It's like it's just…. gone."

He frowned at me, slowly lowering himself down beside me. I could feel his eyes on my face as he sat quietly. The silence of the evening surrounded us as we sat there together.

I startled slightly when he suddenly jumped to his feet, a huge smile lighting up his eyes, and his hand stretched out to take mine. "I have an idea." That's all he said, as he waited for me to reach up and take his hand. When I did, he pulled me snug against him and ran. I barely had time to sling my arms around his neck before he threw us off the roof and into the air, wind fluttering my pigtails against my neck.

"Close your eyes," he whispered in my ear. I did as he asked, squeezing my eyes shut and pressing me face into his collarbone, wondering what, exactly, this boy was up to and where he was taking me.

"Ok, open them." Slowly I did, turning to face forward. He had stopped at the Trocadero - the park directly across from the Eiffel Tower. A tower which was bathed in a beautiful golden glow of light, illuminated against the darkness of the night sky.

"I think, sometimes, we forget the beauty that we see every day here in Paris," Chat murmured. "It's familiar, it's normal, but … it's beautiful." He wasn't even looking at the tower, I realized. His eyes were on me again, and I felt myself flush at the dual meaning of his words. Refusing to look at him again, I stared at the tower.

How often had we been up there, perched at various platforms and heights? How many times had we battled akumas there? He was right - I'd forgotten to take the time to look at my city with fresh eyes.

"Come on. Follow me," he ordered softly, feet already moving. Throwing my yo-yo, I raced behind him. He seemed to be a man on a mission - directing us towards the Palais Garnier. The opera house was old, as many of the buildings in Paris were - ornamented in columns, statues made of gold and stone, and elegantly detailed elements.

Smiling at me as we stood in front of it, he took my hand again and pulled me closer to the door. "Have you ever been inside?" When I had to admit that I'd never entered the building, he seemed almost giddy dragging me through the doors, a clear destination in mind.

It was like a whole other world. Every inch was covered in beauty - detailed sculpture, heavy fabrics, classic lines of figures and patterns and elegance. Large glass chandeliers dangled from the ceilings, their lamps casting a warm, golden glow over the whole space, with highly decorated pillars lined the walls with large windowed doors.

I was speechless. Chat just grinned at me, hand still in mine as we slowly padded our way down the grand entrance. My brain was whirling, trying to absorb every inch of the grandeur. It was absolutely mind-boggling the amount of art in a single hallway.

I knew my mouth was probably open as wide as my eyes as I just gaped. My fingers yearned to draw - what I wasn't sure, but something was there at the edge of my mind begging to be set free on the page.

"Oh, Chat. It's unbelievable." He chuckled. I sank to the floor, laying down to look at the artwork on the ceiling. He lay down beside me, our heads together and feet at opposite edges of the room. He was silent, letting me soak it all in.

After a while, I could barely contain myself anymore.

"Chat. I…. I need to draw. I brought my book, but -" He understood. He sat up, tucked his head into his arms that he placed across his knees and promised not to look. Quickly, I sat up and let my transformation fall.

Tikki gave me one of her all-knowing looks and nibbled on a cookie while I pulled my sketchbook and supplies out of my bag. I slipped it back in place on my shoulders and waited for Tikki to give me the nod to go ahead. Quickly I changed back into Ladybug, eager to get started.

Giving Chat the ok to open his eyes, I got to work - pencils flashing against the page as design after design spilled out, inspired by the artwork and beauty that surrounded us.

Chat didn't say a word. He simply rested on the ground beside me while I worked, lost in the world of creating. I admit, I jumped when he put a claw on my arm.

"We should go, LB. It's nearly midnight."

He was right, of course, even if I didn't feel like it. My body ached when I stretched - a sure sign that I had been focused for too long.

"Sorry about that, Kitty. Sometimes I get a little caught up in my designs." I flushed, realizing that we'd been there for hours and he'd had nothing to do. He just smiled, shrugging, before hopping to his feet and helping me to mine.

"I don't mind. It was nice to just hang out. I'm glad it helped to inspire you." He was right. It really had.

"Next time, I have a different place in mind. You will love it."

I didn't even have a chance to argue. He just grinned, reminded me to pack my sketchbook on our next patrol, and jumped into the night with one of his patented salutes.

Somehow, that night started a new tradition for us. Every night we finished our patrol, Chat would grab my hand and drag me somewhere new. I had the opportunity to see Paris through a whole new set of eyes - beautiful and secret - as we explored famous landmarks and hidden gardens.

Stained glass windows and flowers inspired colourful designs. The city lights shining through rain drops inspired shimmering gowns. Tile patterns inspired formal shirts for men. The street front mix of colours inspired me to put unusual colours together in design. Juxtapositioned ancient and new inspired me to combine old world fashion with cutting edge haute-couture. Statues and paintings gave me creative start to clothing I'd never considered before.

The pressure of my double life seemed to lift as the freedom to be inspired returned - joy in my life when before the mask weighed on me. Now it allowed me access to places I could never go before. Design was my release from the stress of responsibilities.

Before long, my sketchbook was full. Then a new another. And another. Weeks turned into months turned into years - a tradition of searching for beauty and inspiration together.

Through it all, Chat would just sit or lay nearby in silence as I allowed myself the freedom to create. Sometimes his hand would just hold mine softly. Sometimes his head would rest on my shoulder or lap. Sometimes I would catch him watching me, which would make me blush behind the mask with uncertainty - only for him to smile cryptically and offer a pun to break the moment.

It was beautiful - our moments together.

I found myself designing all the time: during class, sitting at the table in a restaurant with my friends, in the middle of the night.

Most of my friends saw me as eccentric - proud of the things I drew but not really understanding. Adrien, however, seemed invested, willingly listening to my 1001 ideas with patience and offering suggestions to make them better. He was able, at times, to see where my designs were inspired from. It felt like he was a co-conspirator to my art. Coffee meetups with friends became dinners out together - fashion a common ground to our strong and growing friendship.

My dream of fashion design school became reality as my portfolio featured such creative and diverse designs. My friends all partied for me - Alya as her loud and energetic self and Adrien glowing with pride at my accomplishments. Chat, however, had beamed with excitement, twirling me around and whooping, leaving me laughing with breathlessness.

It was that night that Chat guided me back to the Opera House.

Wandering together, it seemed as if the grand set of stairs, the hallways, the auditorium were more glorious than ever - years of practice of looking at things with fresh eyes inspiring me to create new things from what I could see.

At last we ended up in the same elaborate hallway that had set off our adventures - just as breathtaking as it was before. In silence we stood together, examine the artwork that surrounded us. I felt Chat's hand slip into mine, and turned to look at my partner.

"My Lady." A whisper as he pulled me close. "I think, sometimes, we forget the beauty that we see every day here in Paris. It's familiar, it's normal, but … it's beautiful. Just like you." My breath hitched in my throat. "Marinette."

I think I forgot how to breathe, how to think, how to anything. He knew, Chat knew. His eyes sparkled with the same brightness as his smile.

"I've known for a long time. How could I not notice the way that your tongue peeks out when you are concentrating?" A thumb brushed against my lips. "Or the little crinkle in your forehead when you trying to see what isn't working right?" A finger on the brow between my eyes. "Or the joy in your eyes when you are inspired." A hand cupping my cheek. "Or that your sketchbooks are always pink - in the suit or in class?" A smirk.

He paused, a small moment of worry passing his eyes before he took a deep breath and released his transformation. The flash blinded me for a moment and I had to close my eyes.

He waited for me to open them again, meeting brilliant green eyes. My brain was still frozen and part of me wondered if I'd ever breathe again. Adrien.

"Hi." Hopeful. Wonderful. Right.

"Hi." My voice wavered in return.

"You inspire me, my Lady. To see the beauty everywhere. To pursue what I love." Slowly he lowered himself to the floor, one knee bent as I stood there in surprise.

"Marry me, Ladybug."

It was all he had to say because the answer was yes. After all, what greater inspiration is there than love?


	31. Waiting on you

July 31: Waiting on you

_Author's Note: (CM) Thank you again for following us on our month long journey! It has been a blast. We are taking a mini break in August… so head over to Epcot97's profile for our ONCE A WEEK Adrien Aug-reste stories. I'll be getting back to finishing_ The Heart Remembers. _You folks are amazing, and please sign this petition for the three of us getting the rights to Miraculous!_

* * *

It wasn't a huge thing. An offhand comment and a cat pun. Said to anyone else, it wouldn't have meant a thing. But he said it to me. Twice. Word for word, and I knew. The first time, Chat told Ladybug about a small detail in his life. A piano piece his father was making him play, and the callous way his father had insulted his playing. The next day, after school, Nino had been talking music with Adrien, Alya and I, and Adrien had told us about his upcoming piano recital. Both the name of the piece and insult his father had given matched with Chat's story, but it wasn't until Adrien had muttered that "his father expected him to be purrfect" did I know for sure.

I froze at those words, barely breathing, world turned upside down. There was no doubt about it, Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir. I'd never before been glad for Adrien to have to depart so swiftly after school was out, but I needed to get home and talk to Tikki. Together we could work out what to do.

By the time I got back to my room, I was panicking. Adrien was Chat. Chat was Adrien. I wasn't sure that I could handle this new shift in my reality. I knew that I should tell Chat that I knew who he was, but I wasn't quite ready to let him know my identity yet. Talking to Tikki I decided I would talk to Chat, and let him figure out who I was. If he could, then I would accept that. I would drop hints for him, and see if he was up to the challenge.

That decided, I was able to calm down enough that I was able to interact with my parents without causing suspicion. Seeing Adrien the next day at school was a definite test, and I was a little bit of a wreck, especially in the morning, but I reminded myself that this was Chat Noir, the boy who fought side by side with me, my best friend. After lunch, I was able to calm my shattered nerves, somewhat, and treat Adrien normally, or at least as normally as I ever did.

After school, I transformed and sent a text to Chat, asking him to meet me on "our" rooftop. I hoped he would get it, but if not, I could drop in on Adrien, although I would rather do this with both of us in masks.

I reach our rendezvous spot early, mostly because I'm on edge, and I can't stay still inside my room for a moment longer. I've practiced what I'm going to say, but quite honestly, I'm nervous. But this time it's not Adrien I'm nervous around, it's Chat. Well, his feelings, and whether he will be upset with me. I don't want this to ruin our dynamic, or our friendship. Either of our friendships, because once he knows who I am, everything will change.

Hearing the whisper quiet thump of his rubber soled boots landing on the roof behind me, I turn to see him offer his patented Chat Noir smile. I can see he's nervous, I don't usually call him unless there is an akuma attack, and he's worried what I'm going to say, it doesn't show in his face at all, but I know by the set of his shoulders, and the look in his eyes.

Seeing Chat nervous has the opposite effect on me, and the sight of my partner calms me down. I know what I want to say, what I'm _going_ to say, but first I need to reassure my partner. I reach over and place my hand upon his arm. "It's nothing bad, Chat. Well, not all bad, anyway. I learned something the other day, and I wanted to talk it over with you, free of akumatized people and chirping miraculous."

Letting out a breath, Chat dropped down on the roof, crossing his legs under him. I sat down, facing him, my knees brushing his. I reached for his hand, and held it between my smaller ones, eyes focused on where they touched as I spoke without looking up.

"I'm sorry, Chat. I think I figured out who you are beneath your mask. Please know that it was completely unintentional. I wasn't seeking you out, but it has been all over my school this week that Adrien Agreste is playing in a piano recital. Playing the same piece you are. From what you have told me about your family, and from what I know of Adrien's father, they seem to be very similar."

Chat had stiffened when I mentioned the name Adrien. Chloe had spent the week bragging about her invitation to the recital, and although she hadn't mentioned what he was going to play, it wouldn't have been terribly difficult to find out the details. He sighed, and looked down, but then a thought must have struck him, because he looked up at me, a light in his eyes. "Does this mean that you go to my school?"

I laughed. "Does this mean you are actually Adrien?" His gaze held mine, green boring into blue. Eventually, Chat nodded. In a voice barely above a whisper he added, "I am, Milady. Will you tell me who you are?"

Smiling back at him, I said, "No. But I will help you to figure it out. I do go to your school. Find me." He nodded at me eyes wide, looking me over, trying to memorize every detail. I turned to leave him, still staring at me, looking a little stunned. As I reached the edge of the rooftop, I turned back to him and smiled. "Here's your first clue. The name of the other boy." He flinched a little at that, but nodded to indicate he's listening. "His name is Adrien Agreste."

With that, I flung out my yo-yo, and swung off the roof, although not before I heard the slight whine coming from the poleaxed boy I just left behind.

After arriving home, I set my plan in motion. Each day I would add one more item to my person, whether it is something green or black, or outright Chat Noir themed, until he took notice. Tikki assured me that she could change me into my normal look as Ladybug regardless of my attire. First up: exchanging my red ribbons for green ones.

Making sure I arrived early to class the next day, I watched the door for Adrien's arrival. Talking to Chat the night before had calmed me down, and I knew I was going to be able to talk to Adrien like a normal person.

Alya arrived first, starting slightly when she noticed I'd beaten her to class, but she still high fived me. We chatted for a while and then Nino and Adrien came in, the latter's eyes darting around the room as he tried to appear normal. His eyes lingered momentarily on my hair ribbons, but flicked away as Juleka and Rose entered the room.

The next couple of days had the same result, a lingering look at the dark green pants I had made, black shoes and the golden bell necklace that he couldn't see, but I saw him twitch every time it tinkled under my shirt.

The next day, I was running a little later, and when I arrived at school, Alya, Nino and Adrien were waiting for me on the front steps. Adrien stopped talking when he saw my sunglasses: green with black pawprints running down the arms. Alya immediately commented on how much she loved them, and grinning, I held out the pair of Ladybug spotted ones I had made for her, the frames clipping onto her prescription glasses. Nino received a pair a solid green shades, exactly like mine, only no pawprints, since there were no arms. I felt they fit Carapace perfectly, but could be explained as being like mine, since I wasn't supposed to know his secret identity.

I smiled at Adrien, and reached into my bag one more time to pull out my final pair of Ladybug sunglasses. These ones had the ladybug spots, and a small yo-yo motif on the arms, which made him grin and hug me. His happy squeal almost rivaled Alyas for excitement.

That afternoon after school, I had a message waiting for me from Chat Noir, asking me to meet him that evening. Guessing the sunglasses had given me away, I messaged him back to let him know I would be there.

Arriving at our prearranged rooftop, I could tell by his body language that Chat had not figured me out yet. Dropping down next to him, I leaned into his shoulder. "What's going on, Chat?"

He looked up at me, then back down at his hands. "I can't do it. I can't find you. I thought at first you would be in my class, but now I'm not even sure if you are in my grade. I thought I would know you the instant I saw you, but I didn't. I'm sorry."

I put my hand on his arm reassuringly, squeezing it gently. "No ideas at all, Chaton?"

He shook his head. "The only person I saw that added more green and black to her wardrobe is someone who I have seen you talking to during an akuma battle before I was able to transform."

Wondering who he was talking about, I asked him. When he answered 'Marinette Dupain-Cheng' I started, then realized he had seen me talking to Future Ladybug during Timebreaker, when Alix had dragged me back in time.

Laughing, I reminded him that not everything that we see during an akuma battle is to be believed and to keep looking with an open mind. Nodding thoughtfully, he agreed. I was about to bid him goodnight, when he grabbed my wrist, hard enough to make me stop, but not hard enough to hurt. He looked at me for a few moments before he ground out, seemingly against his will, "Am I… is Adrien _really_ the boy you're in love with?" He looked anywhere but at my eyes, so I reached over, cupping his cheek, forcing him to look at me. I nodded, running my thumb across his cheek, along the edge of his mask. "Yes, Chat. All this time, I've been rejecting you in favor of you." This time he let me swing away.

Over the next several days, I let my Chat themed items become more conspicuous. One day I turned up in a Chat Noir t-shirt, only to have Alya wear the Ladybug one the same day. Another day I had a trail of paw prints going up my arm in a temporary tattoo. Adrien stared really hard that day, continually shooting little glances back at me, or primarily, my arm. When this still didn't make the pieces completely click, I had one final plan.

The next day I wore a black sweater, green leggings and cat ears. I definitely had Adrien's attention, he barely faced the teacher all day, yet he never said a thing to me. That afternoon, I did have a message waiting for me to meet Chat at what was rapidly becoming our usual spot, and wanted to give him one final hint. After transforming into Ladybug, I redonned the cat ear headband, and headed out to meet my partner.

I made it to the spot first, and turned to face Chat as he almost missed his landing. The quick intake of breath as his eyes roamed over my face, constantly flicking up to my ears. I turned so that the tiny green cat paw I had embroidered on the back of one of the ears, something he'd complimented Marinette on earlier that day, was visible to him. He said my name on an exhalation, and pulled me to him. We stood that way arms around each other, my head resting on his shoulder, his head resting against mine, for long minutes.

Finally. We were together. We were happy. There was no rush for anything, we had the rest of our lives to figure it out. Now that I am no longer waiting on you to see Marinette. Now that you are no longer waiting for me to see Chat Noir. Together. That is how we are going to embark on this next adventure.


End file.
